Radio Galaxies at z = 1.1 to 3.8: Adaptive-Optics Imaging and Archival Hubble Space Telescope Data

We have undertaken a program of high-resolution imaging of high-redshift radio galaxies (HzRGs) using adaptive optics on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. We report on deep imaging in J, H,and K bands of 6 HzRGs in the redshift range 1.1 to 3.8. At these redshifts, near-infrared bandpasses sample the rest-frame visible galaxian light. The radio galaxy is resolved in all the fields and is generally elongated along the axis of the radio lobes. These images are compared to archival Hubble Space Telescope Wide-Field Planetary Camera 2 optical observations of the same fields and show the HzRG morphology in rest-frame ultraviolet and visible light is generally very similar: a string of bright compact knots. Furthermore, this sample - although very small - suggests the colors of the knots are consistent with light from young stellar populations. If true, a plausible explanation is that these objects are being assembled by mergers at high redshift.Comment: 32 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Galaxies in Southern Bright Star Fields I. Near-infrared imaging

As a prerequisite for cosmological studies using adaptive optics techniques, we have begun to identify and characterize faint sources in the vicinity of bright stars at high Galactic latitudes. The initial phase of this work has been a program of K_s imaging conducted with SOFI at the ESO NTT. From observations of 42 southern fields evenly divided between the spring and autumn skies, we have identified 391 additional stars and 1589 galaxies lying at separations 60" from candidate guide stars in the magnitude range 9.0 R 12.4. When analyzed as a "discrete deep field" with 131 arcmin^2 area, our dataset gives galaxy number counts that agree with those derived previously over the range 16 K_s 20.5. This consistency indicates that in the aggregate, our fields should be suitable for future statistical studies. We provide our source catalogue as a resource for users of large telescopes in the southern hemisphere.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, accepted by A&A; Table 3 is available at http://www.rzg.mpg.de/~ajb/data.html pending upload to CD

Calibration and performance of the photon sensor response of FACT -- The First G-APD Cherenkov telescope

The First G-APD Cherenkov Telescope (FACT) is the first in-operation test of the performance of silicon photo detectors in Cherenkov Astronomy. For more than two years it is operated on La Palma, Canary Islands (Spain), for the purpose of long-term monitoring of astrophysical sources. For this, the performance of the photo detectors is crucial and therefore has been studied in great detail. Special care has been taken for their temperature and voltage dependence implementing a correction method to keep their properties stable. Several measurements have been carried out to monitor the performance. The measurements and their results are shown, demonstrating the stability of the gain below the percent level. The resulting stability of the whole system is discussed, nicely demonstrating that silicon photo detectors are perfectly suited for the usage in Cherenkov telescopes, especially for long-term monitoring purpose

FACT -- Operation of the First G-APD Cherenkov Telescope

Since more than two years, the First G-APD Cherenkov Telescope (FACT) is operating successfully at the Canary Island of La Palma. Apart from its purpose to serve as a monitoring facility for the brightest TeV blazars, it was built as a major step to establish solid state photon counters as detectors in Cherenkov astronomy. The camera of the First G-APD Cherenkov Telesope comprises 1440 Geiger-mode avalanche photo diodes (G-APD aka. MPPC or SiPM) for photon detection. Since properties as the gain of G-APDs depend on temperature and the applied voltage, a real-time feedback system has been developed and implemented. To correct for the change introduced by temperature, several sensors have been placed close to the photon detectors. Their read out is used to calculate a corresponding voltage offset. In addition to temperature changes, changing current introduces a voltage drop in the supporting resistor network. To correct changes in the voltage drop introduced by varying photon flux from the night-sky background, the current is measured and the voltage drop calculated. To check the stability of the G-APD properties, dark count spectra with high statistics have been taken under different environmental conditions and been evaluated. The maximum data rate delivered by the camera is about 240 MB/s. The recorded data, which can exceed 1 TB in a moonless night, is compressed in real-time with a proprietary loss-less algorithm. The performance is better than gzip by almost a factor of two in compression ratio and speed. In total, two to three CPU cores are needed for data taking. In parallel, a quick-look analysis of the recently recorded data is executed on a second machine. Its result is publicly available within a few minutes after the data were taken. [...]Comment: 19th IEEE Real-Time Conference, Nara, Japan (2014

FACT -- The G-APD revolution in Cherenkov astronomy

Since two years, the FACT telescope is operating on the Canary Island of La Palma. Apart from its purpose to serve as a monitoring facility for the brightest TeV blazars, it was built as a major step to establish solid state photon counters as detectors in Cherenkov astronomy. The camera of the First G-APD Cherenkov Telesope comprises 1440 Geiger-mode avalanche photo diodes (G-APD), equipped with solid light guides to increase the effective light collection area of each sensor. Since no sense-line is available, a special challenge is to keep the applied voltage stable although the current drawn by the G-APD depends on the flux of night-sky background photons significantly varying with ambient light conditions. Methods have been developed to keep the temperature and voltage dependent response of the G-APDs stable during operation. As a cross-check, dark count spectra with high statistics have been taken under different environmental conditions. In this presentation, the project, the developed methods and the experience from two years of operation of the first G-APD based camera in Cherenkov astronomy under changing environmental conditions will be presented.Comment: Proceedings of the Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference (IEEE-NSS/MIC), 201

ASTEP South: An Antarctic Search for Transiting ExoPlanets around the celestial South pole

ASTEP South is the first phase of the ASTEP project (Antarctic Search for Transiting ExoPlanets). The instrument is a fixed 10 cm refractor with a 4kx4k CCD camera in a thermalized box, pointing continuously a 3.88 degree x 3.88 degree field of view centered on the celestial South pole. ASTEP South became fully functional in June 2008 and obtained 1592 hours of data during the 2008 Antarctic winter. The data are of good quality but the analysis has to account for changes in the point spread function due to rapid ground seeing variations and instrumental effects. The pointing direction is stable within 10 arcseconds on a daily timescale and drifts by only 34 arcseconds in 50 days. A truly continuous photometry of bright stars is possible in June (the noon sky background peaks at a magnitude R=15 arcsec-2 on June 22), but becomes challenging in July (the noon sky background magnitude is R=12.5 arcsec?2 on July 20). The weather conditions are estimated from the number of stars detected in the field. For the 2008 winter, the statistics are between 56.3 % and 68.4 % of excellent weather, 17.9 % to 30 % of veiled weather and 13.7 % of bad weather. Using these results in a probabilistic analysis of transit detection, we show that the detection efficiency of transiting exoplanets in one given field is improved at Dome C compared to a temperate site such as La Silla. For example we estimate that a year-long campaign of 10 cm refractor could reach an efficiency of 69 % at Dome C versus 45 % at La Silla for detecting 2-day period giant planets around target stars from magnitude 10 to 15. This shows the high potential of Dome C for photometry and future planet discoveries. [Short abstract

FACT - The First G-APD Cherenkov Telescope: Status and Results

The First G-APD Cherenkov telescope (FACT) is the first telescope using silicon photon detectors (G-APD aka. SiPM). It is built on the mount of the HEGRA CT3 telescope, still located at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos, and it is successfully in operation since Oct. 2011. The use of Silicon devices promises a higher photon detection efficiency, more robustness and higher precision than photo-multiplier tubes. The FACT collaboration is investigating with which precision these devices can be operated on the long-term. Currently, the telescope is successfully operated from remote and robotic operation is under development. During the past months of operation, the foreseen monitoring program of the brightest known TeV blazars has been carried out, and first physics results have been obtained including a strong flare of Mrk501. An instantaneous flare alert system is already in a testing phase. This presentation will give an overview of the project and summarize its goals, status and first results

AO assisted spectroscopy with SINFONI: PSF, background, and interpolation

I discuss 3 widely applicable aspects concerning calibration of the near infrared adaptive optics integral field spectrometer SINFONI: (1) the accuracy with which one needs to quantify the PSF and how this might be achieved in practice; (2) how it is possible to fine tune the background subtraction to minimise the residual OH airglow; and (3) how an altered perspective on calibration data might lead to improvements in interpolation and greater flexibility in reconstructing datacubes.Comment: 9 pages, invited contribution to the 2007 ESO Instrument Calibration Worksho

TANAMI monitoring of Centaurus A: The complex dynamics in the inner parsec of an extragalactic jet

Context. Centaurus A (Cen A) is the closest radio-loud active galactic nucleus. Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) enables us to study the spectral and kinematic behavior of the radio jet¿counterjet system on milliarcsecond scales, providing essential information for jet emission and propagation models. Aims. In the framework of the TANAMI monitoring, we investigate the kinematics and complex structure of Cen A on subparsec scales. We have been studying the evolution of the central parsec jet structure of Cen A for over 3.5 years. The proper motion analysis of individual jet components allows us to constrain jet formation and propagation and to test the proposed correlation of increased high-energy flux with jet ejection events. Cen A is an exceptional laboratory for such a detailed study because its proximity translates to unrivaled linear resolution, where one milliarcsecond corresponds to 0.018 pc. Methods. As a target of the southern-hemisphere VLBI monitoring program TANAMI, observations of Cen A are done approximately every six months at 8.4 GHz with the Australian Long Baseline Array (LBA) and associated telescopes in Antarctica, Chile, New Zealand, and South Africa, complemented by quasi-simultaneous 22.3 GHz observations. Results. The first seven epochs of high-resolution TANAMI VLBI observations at 8.4 GHz of Cen A are presented, resolving the jet on (sub-)milliarcsecond scales. They show a differential motion of the subparsec scale jet with significantly higher component speeds farther downstream where the jet becomes optically thin. We determined apparent component speeds within a range of 0.1c to 0.3c and identified long-term stable features. In combination with the jet-to-counterjet ratio, we can constrain the angle to the line of sight to theta approx 12deg-45deg. Conclusions. The high-resolution kinematics are best explained by a spine-sheath structure supported by the downstream acceleration occurring where the jet becomes optically thin. On top of the underlying, continuous flow, TANAMI observations clearly resolve individual jet features. The flow appears to be interrupted by an obstacle causing a local decrease in surface brightness and circumfluent jet behavior. We propose a jet-star interaction scenario to explain this appearance. The comparison of jet ejection times to high X-ray flux phases yields a partial overlap of the onset of the X-ray emission and increasing jet activity, but the limited data do not support a robust correlation