发表机构
Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam; Department of Astrophysics/IMAPP, Radboud University; NOVA Optical IR Instrumentation Group at ASTRON（阿姆斯特丹大学安东·潘内科克天文学研究所; 拉博德大学天文物理系/IMAPP; ASTRON的NOVA光学红外仪器组）
机构由 AI 辅助整理，请以论文原文为准。AI 中文总结
本文报告了Proto-NUX原型望远镜在Pic du Midi天文台首次高海拔天空调试的结果，验证了其地面近紫外观测的可行性，同时指出点扩散函数展宽和暗电流等限制，并提出改进方向。
AI 中文摘要
近紫外探测器（NUX）是一个拟议中的地面观测设施，旨在通过在地球上实现300-350纳米范围内的观测来扩展近紫外（NUV）天文学。整个系统计划由四台经过改装的36厘米Celestron RASA望远镜组成，配备定制的NUV优化光学元件和紫外敏感的CMOS探测器，提供约67平方度的总视场，用于对快速、炽热瞬变源进行高节奏搜索。为验证这一概念，建造了单望远镜原型Proto-NUX。其光学设计和开发已在先前的工作中描述。荷兰的初步海平面测试表明，该仪器可以成功运行，并且主要技术要求得到满足。2026年3月，Proto-NUX被部署在法国比利牛斯山脉的Pic du Midi天文台，海拔2877米，进行了首次高海拔天空调试活动。该活动在现实观测条件下测试了整个系统，包括部署、远程操作、校准程序、探测器行为、图像质量、跟踪、鬼影以及同步光学监测。观测结果表明，Proto-NUX是地面NUV观测的可行平台，但也表明系统尚未在其预期的光学极限下运行。特别是，所传递的NUV点扩散函数比预期更宽，可能的原因包括残余准直误差、离焦、色差效应和内部反射。探测器暗电流也被发现是噪声预算的重要贡献者。我们讨论了这些限制，并确定了未来Proto-NUX活动以及将该概念扩展到完整NUX设施所需的主要改进。
英文摘要
The Near-Ultraviolet eXplorer (NUX) is a proposed ground-based observing facility designed to expand near-ultraviolet (NUV) astronomy by enabling observations in the 300--350 nm range from Earth. The full system is intended to consist of four modified 36 cm Celestron RASA telescopes with custom NUV-optimized optics and UV-sensitive CMOS detectors, providing a total field of view of about 67 square degrees for high-cadence searches for fast, hot transients. To validate this concept, a single-telescope prototype, Proto-NUX, was constructed. Its optical design and development are described in previous work. Initial sea-level tests in the Netherlands showed that the instrument could be operated successfully and that the main technical requirements were met. In March 2026, Proto-NUX was deployed at the Pic du Midi Observatory in the French Pyrenees, at an altitude of 2877 m, for its first high-altitude on-sky commissioning campaign. The campaign tested the full system under realistic observing conditions, including deployment, remote operation, calibration procedures, detector behaviour, image quality, tracking, ghosting, and simultaneous optical monitoring. The observations demonstrate that Proto-NUX is a viable platform for ground-based NUV observations, but also show that the system was not yet operating at its expected optical limit. In particular, the delivered NUV point-spread function was broader than expected, with likely contributions from residual collimation error, defocus, chromatic effects, and internal reflections. The detector dark current was also found to be a significant contributor to the noise budget. We discuss these limitations and identify the main improvements needed for future Proto-NUX campaigns and for scaling the concept to the full NUX facility.
CommentsPublished in SPIE Conference proceedings volume 14147
