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Title: DECam Integration Tests on Telescope Simulator

Conference · · Phys.Procedia

The Dark Energy Survey (DES) is a next generation optical survey aimed at measuring the expansion history of the universe using four probes: weak gravitational lensing, galaxy cluster counts, baryon acoustic oscillations, and Type Ia supernovae. To perform the survey, the DES Collaboration is building the Dark Energy Camera (DECam), a 3 square degree, 570 Megapixel CCD camera which will be mounted at the Blanco 4-meter telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter- American Observatory. DES will survey 5000 square degrees of the southern galactic cap in 5 filters (g, r, i, z, Y). DECam will be comprised of 74 250 micron thick fully depleted CCDs: 62 2k x 4k CCDs for imaging and 12 2k x 2k CCDs for guiding and focus. Construction of DECam is nearing completion. In order to verify that the camera meets technical specifications for DES and to reduce the time required to commission the instrument, we have constructed a full sized telescope simulator and performed full system testing and integration prior to shipping. To complete this comprehensive test phase we have simulated a DES observing run in which we have collected 4 nights worth of data. We report on the results of these unique tests performed for the DECam and its impact on the experiments progress.

Research Organization:
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
Contributing Organization:
DES
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-07CH11359
OSTI ID:
1962617
Report Number(s):
FERMILAB-CONF-11-548-AE; arXiv:1111.4717; oai:inspirehep.net:946923
Journal Information:
Phys.Procedia, Vol. 37
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (23)

Report of the Dark Energy Task Force report September 2006
Excess Clustering on Large Scales in the MegaZ DR7 Photometric Redshift Survey journal June 2011
The Dark Energy Survey instrument design conference June 2006
The Dark Energy Survey CCD imager design conference August 2008
Assembly of the Dark Energy Survey CCD Imager conference July 2010
Status of the dark energy survey camera (DECam) project conference July 2010
The Dark Energy Camera (DECam) conference August 2008
Fully depleted, back-illuminated charge-coupled devices fabricated on high-resistivity silicon journal January 2003
Focal plane detectors for Dark Energy Camera (DECam) conference July 2010
Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Victor M. Blanco 4-m Telescope, and the Dark Energy Survey conference June 2006
Testing the Dark Energy Camera on a telescope simulator conference July 2010
The Dark Energy Survey Camera (DECam) journal January 2012
Cooling the dark energy camera CCD array using a closed-loop two-phase liquid nitrogen system conference July 2010
0.250mm-thick CCD packaging for the Dark Energy Survey Camera array conference June 2006
CCD testing and characterization for dark energy survey conference June 2006
Characterization of DECam focal plane detectors conference August 2008
Automated characterization of CCD detectors for DECam conference July 2010
Readout electronics for the Dark Energy Camera conference July 2010
System architecture of the Dark Energy Survey Camera readout electronics conference July 2010
Preliminary optical design for a 2.2 degree diameter prime focus corrector for the Blanco 4 meter telescope conference June 2006
The read-out and control system of the DES camera (SISPI) conference August 2008
The Dark Energy Survey data management system conference July 2008
Measuring the flatness of focal plane for very large mosaic CCD camera conference July 2010

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Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS