The Xinglong 2.16-m reflector is the first 2-meter class astronomical telescope in China. It was jointly designed and built by the Nanjing Astronomical Instruments Factory (NAIF), Beijing Astronomical Observatory (now National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, NAOC) and Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1989. It is Ritchey-Chrétien (R-C) reflector on an English equatorial mount and the effective aperture is 2.16 meters. It had been the largest optical telescope in China for $\sim18$ years until the Guoshoujing Telescope (also called Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope, LAMOST) and the Lijiang 2.4-m telescope were built. At present, there are three main instruments on the Cassegrain focus available: the Beijing Faint Object Spectrograph and Camera (BFOSC) for direct imaging and low resolution ($R\sim500-2000$) spectroscopy, the spectrograph made by Optomechanics Research Inc. (OMR) for low resolution spectroscopy (the spectral resolutions are similar to those of BFOSC) and the fiber-fed High Resolution Spectrograph (HRS, $R\sim30000-65000$). The telescope is widely open to astronomers all over China as well as international astronomical observers. Each year there are more than 40 ongoing observing projects, including 6-8 key projects. Recently, some new techniques and instruments (e.g., astro-frequency comb calibration system, polarimeter and adaptive optics) have been or will be tested on the telescope to extend its observing abilities.
Xinglong Observatory of the National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC), is one of the major optical observatories in China, which hosts nine optical telescopes including the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) and the 2.16 m reflector. Scientific research from these telescopes is focused on stars, galaxies, and exoplanets using multicolor photometry and spectroscopic observations. Therefore, it is important to provide the observing conditions of the site, in detail, to the astronomers for an efficient use of these facilities. In this …
The Beijing Faint Object Spectrograph and Camera (BFOSC) is one of the most important instruments of the 2.16-m telescope of the Xinglong Observatory. Every year there are ~ 20 SCI-papers published based on the observational data of this telescope. In this work, we have systemically measured the total efficiency of the BFOSC of the 2.16-m reflector, based on the observations of two ESO flux standard stars. We have obtained the total efficiencies of the BFOSC instrument of different grisms with various slit widths in almost all ranges, and analysed the factors which effect the efficiency of tel…
The 85-cm telescope at the Xinglong station is a well-operated prime focus system with high science outputs. The telescope has been upgraded since 2014 with new corrector, filters and camera, which are provided by Beijing Normal University (BNU). The filter set is Johnson-Cousins UBVRI system. We report the test results of the new system including the bias, dark current, linearity, gain and readout noise of the CCD camera . Then we derive accurate instrumental calibration coefficients in UBVRI bands with Landolt standard stars in the photometric nights. Finally, we give the limiting magnitudes…
The XGIS (X and Gamma Imaging Spectrometer) is one of the three instruments onboard the THESEUS mission (ESA M5, currently in Phase-A). Thanks to its wide field of view and good imaging capabilities, it will efficiently detect and localize gamma-ray bursts and other transients in the 2-150 keV sky, and also provide spectroscopy up to 10 MeV. Its current design has been optimized by means of scientific simulations based on a Monte Carlo model of the instrument coupled to a state-of-the-art description of the populations of long and short GRBs extending to high redshifts. We describe the optimiz…
The Subaru Telescope is an 8.2 m optical/infrared telescope constructed during 1991--1999 and has been operational since 2000 on the summit area of Maunakea, Hawaii, by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). This paper reviews the history, key engineering issues, and selected scientific achievements of the Subaru Telescope. The active optics for a thin primary mirror was the design backbone of the telescope to deliver a high-imaging performance. Adaptive optics with a laser-facility to generate an artificial guide-star improved the telescope vision to its diffraction limit by c…
Most of the scientific instrumentation as well as the tracking systems and the Shack- Hartmann wavefront analysers at the Italian National Telescope Galileo use CCDs as detectors. The characterization of detectors is of fundamental importance for their correct utilization in scientific instrumentation. We report on the measurement of the electro-optical characteristics of CCDs that will be used in the scientific instrumentation at the Italian National Telescope. In particular we will show and compare the quantum eÆciency, the charge transfer eÆciency, the dark current, the read out noise the u…
Scientific performances of the XGIS instrument on-board THESEUS
INAF/IASF-Milano（意大利国家天体物理研究所米兰天文物理研究所）；Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca（米兰比可卡大学）；INAF/OAS-Bologna（意大利国家天体物理研究所博洛尼亚天文台）；INFN, Sezione di Bologna（意大利国家核物理研究所博洛尼分所）；Università degli Studi di Ferrara（费拉拉大学）
The Arcanum mission is a proposed L-class spacecraft that highlights the revolutionary approach which can now be taken to future space mission design. Using the case of the SpaceX Starship vehicle and in particular the high mass and volume characteristics of this launcher, the feasible large size of future missions, even with high delta-V transfer requirements, are analysed. A demonstrator vehicle, designed to support a large and capable science platform with multiple components, is detailed, clearly showing the range and depth of science goals that will be answerable thanks to the current rev…
We present the Strategic Scientific Plan (SSP) for the direction and activities of the Gemini Observatory in the 2020s. The overarching goal is to ensure that Gemini best uses the available resources to serve the needs of its international user community throughout the coming decade. The actionable items fall into three general categories: (1) preserving Gemini's current facilities and strengths; (2) developing instrumentation and software systems, including data pipelines, to enable new scientific capabilities that build on those strengths; (3) strategizing how visiting instruments can delive…
The European Extremely Large Telescope will see first lights by the end of 2024. With a diameter of almost 40 meters, it will be the biggest optical telescope ever built from the ground. The ELT will open a brand new window in a sensitivity / spatial angular resolution parameter space. To take the full benefit of the scientific potential of this giant, all the instruments will be equipped with Adaptive Optics (AO), providing the sharpest images. This paper provides a quick overview of the AO capabilities of the future instruments to be deployed at the ELT, highlight some of the expected perfor…
ATHENA is a large X-ray observatory, planned to be launched by ESA in 2028 towards an L2 orbit. One of the two instruments of the payload is the X-IFU: a cryogenic spectrometer based on a large array of TES microcalorimeters, able to perform integral field spectrography in the 0.2-12 keV band (2.5 eV FWHM at 6 keV). The X-IFU sensitivity is highly degraded by the particle background expected in the L2 orbit, which is induced by primary protons of both galactic and solar origin, and mostly by secondary electrons. To reduce the particle background level and enable the mission science goals, the …
The \oarpaf telescope is an $80\rm cm$-diameter optical telescope installed in the Antola Mount Regional Reserve, in Northern Italy. This work presents the results of the characterization of the site, as well as developments and interventions that have been implemented, with the goal of exploiting the facility for scientific and educational purposes. During the characterization of the site, an average background brightness of $22.40 \, m_{AB}$ ($B$ filter) -- $21.14 \, m_{AB}$ ($I$) per arcsecond squared, and a $1.5$--$3.0"$ seeing, have been measured. An estimate of the magnitude zero points …
The fields of Astronomy and Astrophysics are technology limited, where the advent and application of new technologies to astronomy usher in a flood of discoveries altering our understanding of the Universe (e.g., recent cases include LIGO and the GRAVITY instrument at the VLTI). Currently, the field of astronomical spectroscopy is rapidly approaching an impasse: the size and cost of instruments, especially multi-object and integral field spectrographs for extremely large telescopes (ELTs), are pushing the limits of what is feasible, requiring optical components at the very edge of achievable s…
AstroSat is a multi-wavelength astronomy satellite, launched on 2015 September 28. It carries a suite of scientific instruments for multi-wavelength observations of astronomical sources. It is a major Indian effort in space astronomy and the context of AstroSat is examined in a historical perspective. The Performance Verification phase of AstroSat has been completed and all instruments are working flawlessly and as planned. Some brief highlights of the scientific results are also given here.
The present paper describes the construction, the installation and the operation of the Optical Imager Galileo (OIG), a scientific instrument dedicated to the 'imaging' in the visible. OIG was the first instrument installed on the focal plane of the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) and it has been extensively used for the functional verification of several parts of the telescope (as an example the optical quality, the rejection of spurious light, the active optics and the tracking), in the same way also several parts of the TNG informatics system (instrument commanding, telemetry and data ar…
All the scientific instruments of the Italian National Telescope "Galileo" (TNG). as well as the tracking systems and the Shack-Hartmann wavefront systems use CCDs as detectors. The CCD procurement is crucial to optimize the instruments performance, and, of course, equal importance assumes the design and realization of controllers able to drive various kinds of CCDs with a very low readout noise. Detectors characterization is of fundamental importance when they have to be used in scientific instrumentation. Various CCDs have been assembled in cryostats and tested at our laboratory in order to …
We present the simulation tools developed to aid the design phase of the Cassegrain U-Band Efficient Spectrograph (CUBES) for the Very Large Telescope (VLT), exploring aspects of the system design and evaluating the performance for different design configurations. CUBES aims to be the 'ultimate' ultraviolet (UV) instrument at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in terms of throughput, with the goal to cover the bluest part of the spectrum accessible from the ground (300 nm to 400 nm) with the highest possible efficiency. Here we introduce the End-to-End (E2E) and the Exposure Time Calculat…
We present the preliminary design of Cerberus, a new scientific instrument for the alt-az, 80cm OARPAF telescope in the Ligurian mountains above Genoa, Italy. Cerberus will provide three focal stations at the Nasmyth focus, allowing: imaging and photometry with standard Johnson-Cousins UBVRI+Ha+Free filters, an on-axis guiding camera, and a tip-tilt lens for image stabilization up to 10Hz; long slit spectroscopy at R 5900 thanks to a LHIRES III spectrograph provided with a 1200l/mm grism; échelle spectroscopy at R 9300 using a FLECHAS spectrograph with optical fiber.
The scientific detector systems for the ESO ELT first-light instruments, HARMONI, MICADO, and METIS, together will require 27 science detectors: seventeen 2.5 $μ$m cutoff H4RG-15 detectors, four 4K x 4K 231-84 CCDs, five 5.3 $μ$m cutoff H2RG detectors, and one 13.5 $μ$m cutoff GEOSNAP detector. This challenging program of scientific detector system development covers everything from designing and producing state-of-the-art detector control and readout electronics, to developing new detector characterization techniques in the lab, to performance modeling and final system verification. We report…
We present technical, instrumental, and software upgrades completed and planned at astronomical observatory called "Osservatorio Astronomico Regionale Parco Antola, Fascia" (OARPAF), hosting an 80cm, alt-az Cassegrain-Nasmyth telescope. The observatory, located in the Ligurian Apennines, can currently be operated either for scientific (photometry camera) or amateur (ocular) observations, by switching the tertiary mirror between the two Nasmyth foci using a manual handle. The main scientific observational topics are related up to now to exoplanetary transits, QSOs, and gravitationally lensed qu…
In this paper we outline the range of probes and scientific instruments that will be required in order for Icarus to fulfill its scientific mission of exploring a nearby star, its attendant planetary system, and the intervening interstellar medium. Based on this preliminary analysis, we estimate that the minimum total Icarus scientific payload mass (i.e. the mass of probes and instruments which must be decelerated to rest in the target system to enable a meaningful programme of scientific investigation) will be in the region of 100 tonnes. Of this, approximately 10 tonnes would be allocated fo…
The GRB joint scientific analysis pipeline of the ECLAIRs and GRM instruments on board SVOM
Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier, Université Montpellier, CNRS/IN2P3（蒙彼利埃宇宙与粒子实验室，蒙彼利埃大学，法国国家科学研究中心/法国国家核子和粒子物理研究所）；Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7095, Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris（索邦大学，法国国家科学研究中心，联合研究单位7095，巴黎天体物理学研究所）；Institut Universitaire de France（法兰西学院）；INAF –Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera（意大利国家天体物理研究所-布雷拉天文台）
The extension of on-board data processing capabilities is an attractive option to reduce telemetry for scientific instruments on deep space missions. The challenges that this presents, however, require a comprehensive software system, which operates on the limited resources a data processing unit in space allows. We implemented such a system for the Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI) on-board the Solar Orbiter (SO) spacecraft. It ensures autonomous operation to handle long command-response times, easy changing of the processes after new lessons have been learned and meticulous book-kee…
SOXS (SOn of X-Shooter) is a high-efficiency spectrograph with a mean Resolution-Slit product of 3500 over the entire band capable of simultaneously observing the complete spectral range 350-2000 nm. It consists of three scientific arms (the UV-VIS Spectrograph, the NIR Spectrograph and the Acquisition Camera) connected by the Common Path system to the NTT, and the Calibration Unit. We present an overview of the flow from the scientific to the technical requirements, and the realization of the sub-systems. Further, we give an overview of the methodologies used for planning and managing the ass…
India's largest 3.6 m aperture optical telescope has been successfully installed in the central Himalayan region at Devasthal, Nainital district, Uttarakhand. The primary mirror of the telescope uses the active optics technology. The back-end instruments, enabling spectroscopic and photometric imaging of the celestial sky are designed and developed by ARIES along with other Indian institutes. The Devasthal optical telescope in synergy with two other highly sensitive telescopes in the country, namely GMRT operating in the radio wavebands and AstroSat operating in the high-energy X-ray, ultravio…
GIARPS (GIAno \& haRPS) is a project devoted to have on the same focal station of the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) both high resolution spectrographs, HARPS-N (VIS) and GIANO-B (NIR), working simultaneously. This could be considered the first and unique worldwide instrument providing cross-dispersed echelle spectroscopy at a resolution of 50,000 in the NIR range and 115,000 in the VIS and over in a wide spectral range ($0.383 - 2.45\ μ$m) in a single exposure. The science case is very broad, given the versatility of such an instrument and its large wavelength range. A number of outstandi…
Assessing the Impact of Instrumental Requirements on the Scientific Performance of the Einstein Telescope
Marietta Blau Institute - Austrian Academy of Sciences（玛丽亚·布劳研究所-奥地利科学院）；Johns Hopkins University（约翰斯·霍普金斯大学）；Universität Hamburg（汉堡大学）；Università di Napoli “Federico II”（那不勒斯费德里科二世大学）；INFN, Sezione di Napoli（意大利国家核物理研究所，那不勒斯分部）；Aix-Marseille Université（艾克斯-马赛大学）；Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI)（格兰萨索科学研究所）；INFN, Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso（意大利国家核物理研究所，格兰萨索国家实验室）；Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica - Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma（意大利天体物理学研究所-罗马天文台）；INFN, Sezione di Torino（意大利国家核物理研究所，都灵分部）；Università degli Studi di Torino（都灵大学）
The optimization and scheduling of scientific observations done with instrumentation supported by adaptive optics could greatly benefit from the forecast of PSF figures of merit (FWHM, Strehl Ratio, Encircle Energy and contrast), that depend on the AO instrument, the scientific target and turbulence conditions during the observing night. In this contribution we explore the the possibility to forecast a few among the most useful PSF figures of merit (SR and FWHM). To achieve this goal, we use the optical turbulence forecasted by the mesoscale atmospheric model Astro-Meso-NH on a short timescale…
The standardisation of gamma-ray astronomical data emerged in recent years as a necessity for the future generation of gamma-ray observatories. Nevertheless, adopting a common format for gamma-ray instruments can already benefit the current generation of gamma-ray instruments. As the end of their operations approaches, it provides a natural solution for the production of their data legacy. Additionally it eases data combination for multi-instrument analyses, thus enhancing the potential for scientific discovery with the wealth of data so far gathered. In this contribution, we present for the f…
Lijiang 2.4-meter Telescope(LJT), the largest common-purpose optical telescope in China, has been applied to the world-wide astronomers since 2008. It is located at Gaomeigu site, Lijiang Observatory(LJO), the southwest of China. The site has very good observational conditions. Since 10-year operation, several instruments have been equipped on the LJT. Astronomers can perform both photometric and spectral observations. The main scientific goals of LJT include photometric and spectral evolution of supernova, reverberation mapping of active galactic nucleus, physical properties of binary star an…
Instruments for Focal Plane X-Ray Polarimetry in the Next Decade
Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica - Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali（意大利国家天体物理研究所-天体物理学与行星科学研究所）；Thales Alenia Space Italia S.p.A.（泰雷兹阿莱尼亚太空意大利公司）；Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY（德国电子同步辐射中心）；Physical Research Laboratory（物理研究实验室）
This paper shall provide a summary of not yet published technical innovations to the GREGOR Fabry-Perot Interferometer (GFPI) at the 1.5m GREGOR Solar Telescope (Europe's largest solar telescope) that I implemented in 2013 as the Instrument Scientist of the GFPI. It also represents an overview of important and not yet published observational results that I achieved with the GFPI in 2013. The results and achievements can be considered a milestone in the further development, scientific verification and final acceptance of this instrument. The instrument is now in operation and employed by the in…
Since the MICROSCOPE instrument aims to measure accelerations as low as a few 10$^{-15}$\,m\,s$^{-2}$ and cannot operate on ground, it was obvious to have a large time dedicated to its characterization in flight. After its release and first operation, the characterization experiments covered all the aspects of the instrument design in order to consolidate the scientific measurements and the subsequent conclusions drawn from them. Over the course of the mission we validated the servo-control and even updated the PID control laws for each inertial sensor. Thanks to several dedicated experiments …
We present an evaluation of a novel on-chip charge detector, called the Single electron Sensitive Read Out (SiSeRO), for charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensor applications. It uses a p-MOSFET transistor at the output stage with a depleted internal gate beneath the p-MOSFET. Charge transferred to the internal gate modulates the source-drain current of the transistor. We have developed a drain current readout module to characterize the detector. The prototype sensor achieves a charge/current conversion gain of 700 pA per electron, an equivalent noise charge (ENC) of 15 electrons (e-) root mea…
QUIJOTE scientific results - XX. Commissioning and First Results from the Thirty and Forty Gigahertz Instrument (TFGI)
Laboratoire de Physique Subatomique et de Cosmologie, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS/IN2P3（亚原子物理与宇宙学实验室，格勒诺布尔阿尔卑斯大学，法国国家科学研究中心/法国国家粒子物理研究所）；Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias（加那利群岛天体物理研究所）；Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna（拉帕尔马大学天体物理学系）；Universidade da Coruña, CITIC（科鲁尼亚大学，信息技术创新中心）；Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI), UTIAS, The University of Tokyo（Kavli宇宙物理与数学研究所（ Kavli IPMU, WPI），UTIAS，东京大学）；Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria (IFCA, CSIC-UC)（坎塔布里亚物理研究所（ IFCA, 西班牙国家研究委员会-坎塔布里亚大学））
The ASPIICS solar coronagraph aboard the Proba-3 formation flying mission. Scientific objectives and instrument design
Centre Spatial de Liège, Université de Liège（列日大学空间中心）；European Space Research and Technology Centre, European Space Agency（欧洲航天局欧洲空间研究与技术中心）；Laboratoire Atmosphéres et Observations Spatiales（大气与空间观测实验室）；National Institute for Astrophysics, Astrophysical Observatory of Torino（国家天体物理研究所都灵天文台）；Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences（捷克科学院天文研究所）；Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research（马克斯·普朗克太阳系统研究所）；Institute of Geodynamics of the Romanian Academy（罗马尼亚科学院地球动力学研究所）；Astronomical Institute, University of Wrocław（弗罗茨瓦夫大学天文研究所）
