A Close Companion Search Around L Dwarfs Using Aperture Masking Interferometry and Palomar Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics

We present a close companion search around 16 known early L dwarfs using aperture masking interferometry with Palomar laser guide star adaptive optics (LGS AO). The use of aperture masking allows the detection of close binaries, corresponding to projected physical separations of 0.6-10.0 AU for the targets of our survey. This survey achieved median contrast limits of ΔK ~ 2.3 for separations between 1.2λ/D-4λ/D and ΔK ~ 1.4 at 2/3λ/D. We present four candidate binaries detected with moderate-to-high confidence (90%-98%). Two have projected physical separations less than 1.5 AU. This may indicate that tight-separation binaries contribute more significantly to the binary fraction than currently assumed, consistent with spectroscopic and photometric overluminosity studies. Ten targets of this survey have previously been observed with the Hubble Space Telescope as part of companion searches. We use the increased resolution of aperture masking to search for close or dim companions that would be obscured by full aperture imaging, finding two candidate binaries. This survey is the first application of aperture masking with LGS AO at Palomar. Several new techniques for the analysis of aperture masking data in the low signal-to-noise regime are explored

Real-time wavefront control for the PALM-3000 high order adaptive optics system

We present a cost-effective scalable real-time wavefront control architecture based on off-the-shelf graphics processing units hosted in an ultra-low latency, high-bandwidth interconnect PC cluster environment composed of modules written in the component-oriented language of nesC. We demonstrate the architecture is capable of supporting the most computation and memory intensive wavefront reconstruction method (vector-matrix-multiply) at frame rates up to 2 KHz with latency under 250 &mgr;s for the PALM-3000 adaptive optics systems, a state-of-the-art upgrade on the 5.1 meter Hale Telescope that consists of a 64x64 subaperture Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor and a 3368 active actuator high order deformable mirror in series with a 349 actuator "woofer" DM. This architecture can easily scale up to support larger AO systems at higher rates and lower latency

The Zwicky Transient Facility Observing System

The Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) is a synoptic optical survey for high-cadence time-domain astronomy. Building upon the experience and infrastructure of the highly successful Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) team, ZTF will survey more than an order of magnitude faster than PTF in sky area and volume in order to identify rare, rapidly varying optical sources. These sources will include a trove of supernovae, exotic explosive transients, unusual stellar variables, compact binaries, active galactic nuclei, and asteroids. The single-visit depth of 20.4 mag is well matched to spectroscopic follow-up observations, while the co-added images will provide wide sky coverage 1.5 – 2 mag deeper than SDSS. The ZTF survey will cover the entire Northern Sky and revisit fields on timescales of a few hours, providing hundreds of visits per field each year, an unprecedented cadence, as required to detect fast transients and variability. This high-cadence survey is enabled by an observing system based on a new camera having 47 deg^2 field of view – a factor of 6.5 greater than the existing PTF camera - equipped with fast readout electronics, a large, fast exposure shutter, faster telescope and dome drives, and various measures to optimize delivered image quality. Our project has already received an initial procurement of e2v wafer-scale CCDs and we are currently fabricating the camera cryostat. International partners and the NSF committed funds in June 2014 so construction can proceed as planned to commence engineering commissioning in 2016 and begin operations in 2017. Public release will allow broad utilization of these data by the US astronomical community. ZTF will also promote the development of transient and variable science methods in preparation for the seminal first light of LSST

Design and development of MOSFIRE: the Multi-Object Spectrometer For Infra-Red Exploration at the Keck Observatory

MOSFIRE is a unique multi-object spectrometer and imager for the Cassegrain focus of the 10 m Keck 1 telescope. A refractive optical design provides near-IR (0.97 to 2.45 μm) multi-object spectroscopy over a 6.14' x 6.14' field of view with a resolving power of R~3,270 for a 0.7" slit width (2.9 pixels in the dispersion direction), or imaging over a field of view of 6.8' diameter with 0.18" per pixel sampling. A single diffraction grating can be set at two fixed angles, and order-sorting filters provide spectra that cover the K, H, J or Y bands by selecting 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th order respectively. A folding flat following the field lens is equipped with piezo transducers to provide tip/tilt control for flexure compensation at the 0.1 pixel level. A special feature of MOSFIRE is that its multiplex advantage of up to 46 slits is achieved using a cryogenic Configurable Slit Unit or CSU developed in collaboration with the Swiss Centre for Electronics and Micro Technology (CSEM). The CSU is reconfigurable under remote control in less than 5 minutes without any thermal cycling of the instrument. Slits are formed by moving opposable bars from both sides of the focal plane. An individual slit has a length of 7.1" but bar positions can be aligned to make longer slits. When masking bars are removed to their full extent and the grating is changed to a mirror, MOSFIRE becomes a wide-field imager. Using a single, ASIC-driven, 2K x 2K H2-RG HgCdTe array from Teledyne Imaging Sensors with exceptionally low dark current and low noise, MOSFIRE will be extremely sensitive and ideal for a wide range of science applications. This paper describes the design and testing of the instrument prior to delivery later in 2010

The blue channel of the Keck low-resolution imaging spectrometer

This paper summarizes the optical, mechanical, electrical, and software design of LRIS-B, the blue channel of the Keck Low Resolution and Imaging Spectrograph. The LRIS-B project will shortly be completing the existing LRIS instrument through the addition of dichroic beamsplitters, grisms to disperse light on the blue channel, broad-band u, B, and V photometric filters, a blue and near-UV transmitting camera lens, and a large format blue-sensitive CCD detector. LRIS-B will also introduce piezoelectric xy-actuation of the CCD detector inside its Dewar, in order to compensate for flexure in the existing instrument; ultimately the red-side CCD detector will be similarly equipped, its PZT xy-stage being independently programmed. The optical design of the LRIS-B camera uses only fused silica and calcium fluoride elements, and includes a decentered meniscus element to compensate for coma introduced by the LRIS off-axis paraboloid collimator. The design of the blue channel grisms have been optimized for maximum blaze efficiency, the highest dispersion grism having a groove density of 1200 gr/mm. Optical elements not in use at any given time will be stowed in carousels externally mounted to the instrument sidewalls. The entire instrument is designed to permit remote operation

Status of the PALM-3000 high-order adaptive optics system

The PALM-3000 upgrade to the Palomar Adaptive Optics system on the 5.1 meter Hale telescope will deliver extreme adaptive optics correction in near-infrared wavelengths and diffraction-limited images in visible wavelengths. PALM-3000 will use a 3388-actuator tweeter and a 241-actuator woofer deformable mirror, a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor with selectable pupil sampling, and an innovative wavefront control computer based on a cluster of 17 graphics processing units to correct wavefront aberrations at scales as fine as 8.1 cm at the telescope pupil using natural guide stars. The system is currently undergoing integration and testing, with deployment at Palomar Observatory planned in early 2011. We present the detailed design of key aspects of the adaptive optics system, and the current status of the deformable mirror characterization, wavefront sensor performance, and testbed activities

PALM-3000 high-order adaptive optics system for Palomar Observatory

Deployed as a multi-user shared facility on the 5.1 meter Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory, the PALM-3000 highorder upgrade to the successful Palomar Adaptive Optics System will deliver extreme AO correction in the near-infrared, and diffraction-limited images down to visible wavelengths, using both natural and sodium laser guide stars. Wavefront control will be provided by two deformable mirrors, a 3368 active actuator woofer and 349 active actuator tweeter, controlled at up to 3 kHz using an innovative wavefront processor based on a cluster of 17 graphics processing units. A Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor with selectable pupil sampling will provide high-order wavefront sensing, while an infrared tip/tilt sensor and visible truth wavefront sensor will provide low-order LGS control. Four back-end instruments are planned at first light: the PHARO near-infrared camera/spectrograph, the SWIFT visible light integral field spectrograph, Project 1640, a near-infrared coronagraphic integral field spectrograph, and 888Cam, a high-resolution visible light imager

MOSFIRE, the multi-object spectrometer for infra-red exploration at the Keck Observatory

This paper describes the as-built performance of MOSFIRE, the multi-object spectrometer and imager for the Cassegrain focus of the 10-m Keck 1 telescope. MOSFIRE provides near-infrared (0.97 to 2.41 μm) multi-object spectroscopy over a 6.1' x 6.1' field of view with a resolving power of R~3,500 for a 0.7" (0.508 mm) slit (2.9 pixels in the dispersion direction), or imaging over a field of view of ~6.9' diameter with ~0.18" per pixel sampling. A single diffraction grating can be set at two fixed angles, and order-sorting filters provide spectra that cover the K, H, J or Y bands by selecting 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th order respectively. A folding flat following the field lens is equipped with piezo transducers to provide tip/tilt control for flexure compensation at the <0.1 pixel level. Instead of fabricated focal plane masks requiring frequent cryo-cycling of the instrument, MOSFIRE is equipped with a cryogenic Configurable Slit Unit (CSU) developed in collaboration with the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM). Under remote control the CSU can form masks containing up to 46 slits with ~0.007-0.014" precision. Reconfiguration time is < 6 minutes. Slits are formed by moving opposable bars from both sides of the focal plane. An individual slit has a length of 7.0" but bar positions can be aligned to make longer slits in increments of 7.5". When masking bars are retracted from the field of view and the grating is changed to a mirror, MOSFIRE becomes a wide-field imager. The detector is a 2K x 2K H2-RG HgCdTe array from Teledyne Imaging Sensors with low dark current and low noise. Results from integration and commissioning are presented

Facilitizing the Palomar AO laser guide star system

We describe the work that has gone into taking the sodium Laser Guide Star (LGS) program on the Palomar AO system from a successful experiment to a facility instrument. In particular, we describe the operation of the system, the BTO (beam transfer optics) system which controls the path of the laser in the dome, the aircraft safety systems and the optical systems which allow us to take advantage of the unique properties of the macro/micro pulse laser. In addition we present on sky performance results that demonstrate K-band Strehl ratios of up to 48

The Zwicky Transient Facility: Observing System

The Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) Observing System (OS) is the data collector for the ZTF project to study astrophysical phenomena in the time domain. ZTF OS is based upon the 48 inch aperture Schmidt-type design Samuel Oschin Telescope at the Palomar Observatory in Southern California. It incorporates new telescope aspheric corrector optics, dome and telescope drives, a large-format exposure shutter, a flat-field illumination system, a robotic bandpass filter exchanger, and the key element: a new 47-square-degree, 600 megapixel cryogenic CCD mosaic science camera, along with supporting equipment. The OS collects and delivers digitized survey data to the ZTF Data System (DS). Here, we describe the ZTF OS design, optical implementation, delivered image quality, detector performance, and robotic survey efficiency