Clemens Storz

Max Planck Institute for Astronomy

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W. Laun

Max Planck Institute for Astronomy

U. Mall

Max Planck Institute for Astronomy

V. Naranjo

Max Planck Institute for Astronomy

R. Lenzen

University of Cologne

Peter Bizenberger

Max Planck Institute for Astronomy

Karl Wagner

University of Bonn

Ralf-Rainer Rohloff

Max Planck Institute for Astronomy

W. Seifert

Heidelberg University

Richard J. Mathar

Max Planck Institute for Astronomy

M. Vázquez

Max Planck Institute for Astronomy

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Max Planck Institute for Astronomy

169

Max Planck Society

149

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas

Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía

University of Göttingen

Max Planck Innovation

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

Heidelberg University

Institute of Space Sciences

Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

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PANIC: A General-purpose Panoramic Near-infrared Camera for the Calar Alto Observatory

Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (2018)

M. Vázquez Bernhard Dorner Armin Huber E. Sánchez-Blanco M. Alter

PANIC7is the new PAnoramic Near-Infrared Camera for Calar Alto and is a project jointly developed by the MPIA in Heidelberg, Germany, and the IAA in Granada, Spain, for the German-Spanish Astronomical Center at Calar Alto Observatory (CAHA; Almería, Spain). This new instrument works with the 2.2 m and 3.5 m CAHA telescopes covering a field of view of 30 × 30 arcmin and 15 × 15 arcmin, respectively, with a sampling of 4096 × 4096 pixels. It is designed for the spectral bands from Z to KS, and can also be equipped with narrowband filters. The instrument was delivered to the observatory in 2014 October and was commissioned at both telescopes between 2014 November and 2015 June. Science verification at the 2.2 m telescope was carried out during the second semester of 2015 and the instrument is now at full operation. We describe the design, assembly, integration, and verification process, the final laboratory tests and the PANIC instrument performance. We also present first-light data obtained during the commissioning and preliminary results of the scientific verification. The final optical model and the theoretical performance of the camera were updated according to the as-built data. The laboratory tests were made with a star simulator. Finally, the commissioning phase was done at both telescopes to validate the camera real performance on sky. The final laboratory test confirmed the expected camera performances, complying with the scientific requirements. The commissioning phase on sky has been accomplished.

10.1088/1538-3873/aa9884

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Omega Cass: a new multimode NIR-imager/spectrometer for the Calar Alto Observatory

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE (1998)

R. Lenzen Peter Bizenberger N. Salm Clemens Storz

Omega Cass is the new MPIA multi-mode camera for imaging and spectroscopy at near IR wavelengths between 1.0 and 2.5 micrometers . The Camera is equipped with an 1024 X 1024 HAWAII HgCdTe focal plane array from Rockwell. The cryogenic re- imaging optics are designed to cover a wide variety of observing conditions. The imaging scales can be changed during observations, allowing the observer to react to changing conditions. Three different lens sets provide scales of 0.3, 0.2 and 0.1 arcsec/pixel at the f/10 Cassegrain focus of the 3.5m telescope. In combination with a laser based adaptive optics system, available at the same telescope, these imaging scale correspond to 0.12, 0.08 and 0.04 arcsec/pixel, which double samples the diffraction limit at the shortest operation wavelength. A set of grisms allow low to medium resolution long slit spectroscopy up to R equals 1000. In addition, sensitive polarimetry can be done with Wollaston prisms and wire grid analyzers. Omega-Cass is mainly designed for the 3.5m telescope on Calar Alto, although it may be used at any other telescopes with a focal ratio slower than f/8, including the MPIA's 2.2m telescopes on Calar Alto and La Silla.

Cassegrain reflector

Optical telescope

Imaging spectrometer

Aperture (computer memory)

Imaging Spectroscopy

10.1117/12.317275

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Citations (8)

The PANIC software system

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE (2010)

J. Ibáñez Matilde Fernández Julio Gómez Antonio J. García Segura Clemens Storz

PANIC is the Panoramic Near Infrared Camera for the 2.2m and 3.5m telescopes at Calar Alto observatory. The aim of the project is to build a wide-field general purpose NIR camera. In this paper we describe the software system of the instrument, which comprises four main packages: GEIRS for the instrument control and the data acquisition; the Observation Tool (OT), the software used for detailed definition and pre-planning the observations, developed in Java; the Quick Look tool (PQL) for easy inspection of the data in real-time and a scientific pipeline (PAPI), both based on the Python programming language.

Python

Instrument control

10.1117/12.856029

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Achieving a wide-field near-infrared camera for the Calar Alto 3.5-m telescope

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE (2000)

Coryn A. L. Bailer‐Jones Peter Bizenberger Clemens Storz

The ongoing development of large IR array detectors has enabled wide field, deep surveys to be undertaken. There are, however, a number of challenges in building an IR instrument which has both excellent optical quality and high sensitivity over a wide field. We discuss these problems in the context of building a wide field imaging camera for the 3.5m telescope at Calar Alto with the new 2K by 2K HgCdTe HAWAII-2 focal plane array. Our final design is a prime focus camera with a 15 feet field-of-view, called Omega 2000. To achieve excellent optical quality over the whole field, we have had to dispense with the reimaging optics and cold Lyot stop. We show that creative baffling schemes, including the use of undersized baffles, can compensate for the lost K band sensitivity. A moving baffle will be employed in Ogema 2000 to allow full transmission in the non-thermal J and H bands.

10.1117/12.395447

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Citations (14)

NAOS+CONICA at YEPUN: first VLT adaptive optics system sees first light

W. Brandner G. Rousset R. Lenzen N. Hubin F. Lacombe

First light

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Serial Sectioning Of Cells In Three Dimensions With Confocal Scanning Laser Fluorescence Microscopy (Fl-CSLM): Microtomoscopy

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE (1988)

Ernst H. K. Stelzer Reiner Stricker Reinhard Pick Clemens Storz Roelof W. Wijnaendts-Van-Resandt

The discrimination of out of focus contributions in fluorescence microscopy possible in a confocal setup will establish itself as a supplement to conventional fluorescence microscopy. The improvement of the contrast compared with conventional fluorescence microscopy depends mainly on the density of the fluorescing material and the thickness of the sample. The term thickness, that which microscopists refer to as the size of the specimen along the optical axis, will gain a new quality since a confocal fluorescence microscope may reveal totally different features when recording data in planes that are 0.3μm apart. Differences that have in the past been neglected suddenly become important. The following article will outline important features in the application of confocal fluorescence microscopy in the biological sciences, point out its limitatk'ns, and draw attention to expected developments.

Optical sectioning

Laser Microscopy

10.1117/12.945407

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Citations (2)

MIDI — The 10 μm Instrument on the VLTI

Springer eBooks (2003)

Christoph Leinert U. Graser Frank Przygodda Laurens B. F. M. Waters G. Perrin

MIDI

Very Large Telescope

10.1007/978-94-017-0157-0_7

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CARMENES. I: instrument and survey overview

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE (2012)

A. Quirrenbach P. J. Amado W. Seifert M. Á. Sánchez Carrasco Holger Mandel

CARMENES (Calar Alto high-Resolution search for M dwarfs with Exo-earths with Near-infrared and optical Echelle Spectrographs) is a next-generation instrument for the 3.5m telescope at the Calar Alto Observatory, built by a consortium of eleven Spanish and German institutions. The CARMENES instrument consists of two separate échelle spectrographs covering the wavelength range from 0.55 μm to 1.7 μm at a spectral resolution of R = 82, 000, fed by fibers from the Cassegrain focus of the telescope. Both spectrographs are housed in temperature-stabilized vacuum tanks, to enable a long-term 1 m/s radial velocity precision employing a simultaneous calibration with Th-Ne and U-Ne emission line lamps. CARMENES has been optimized for a search for terrestrial planets in the habitable zones (HZs) of low-mass stars, which may well provide our first chance to study environments capable of supporting the development of life outside the Solar System. With its unique combination of optical and near-infrared ´echelle spectrographs, CARMENES will provide better sensitivity for the detection of low-mass planets than any comparable instrument, and a powerful tool for discriminating between genuine planet detections and false positives caused by stellar activity. The CARMENES survey will target 300 M dwarfs in the 2014 to 2018 time frame.

Survey instrument

10.1117/12.925164

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Citations (77)

Reactive scheduling for LINC-NIRVANA

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE (2006)

Juergen Berwein Aleksei Pavlov Florian Briegel Wolfgang Gäessler Clemens Storz

LINC-NIRVANA is a Fizeau interferometer for the LBT. The instrument combines the two 8.4 m telescopes into one image plane. The fixed geometry of the telescope and the adaptive optics of the instrument put constraints on the observation schedule. Environmental changes influences the execution of observations. We present a robust and reactive scheduling strategy to achieve high observation efficiency and scientific results with our instrument.

Fizeau interferometer

10.1117/12.671261

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Citations (2)

CARMENES: high-resolution spectra and precise radial velocities in the red and infrared

Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VII (2018)

A. Quirrenbach P. J. Amado I. Ribas J. A. Caballero W. Seifert

The design and construction of CARMENES has been presented at previous SPIE conferences. It is a next-generation radial-velocity instrument at the 3.5m telescope of the Calar Alto Observatory, which was built by a consortium of eleven Spanish and German institutions. CARMENES consists of two separate échelle spectrographs covering the wavelength range from 0.52 to 1.71μm at a spec-tral resolution of R < 80,000, fed by fibers from the Cassegrain focus of the telescope. CARMENES saw "First Light" on Nov 9, 2015. During the commissioning and initial operation phases, we established basic performance data such as throughput and spectral resolution. We found that our hollow-cathode lamps are suitable for precise wavelength calibration, but their spectra contain a number of lines of neon or argon that are so bright that the lamps cannot be used in simultaneous exposures with stars. We have therefore adopted a calibration procedure that uses simultaneous star / Fabry Pérot etalon exposures in combination with a cross-calibration between the etalons and hollow-cathode lamps during daytime. With this strategy it has been possible to achieve 1-2 m/s precision in the visible and 5-10 m/s precision in the near-IR; further improvements are expected from ongoing work on temperature control, calibration procedures and data reduction. Comparing the RV precision achieved in different wavelength bands, we find a "sweet spot" between 0.7 and 0.8μm, where deep TiO bands provide rich RV information in mid-M dwarfs. This is in contrast to our pre-survey models, which predicted comparatively better performance in the near-IR around 1μm, and explains in part why our near-IR RVs do not reach the same precision level as those taken with the visible spectrograph. We are now conducting a large survey of 340 nearby M dwarfs (with an average distance of only 12pc), with the goal of finding terrestrial planets in their habitable zones. We have detected the signatures of several previously known or suspected planets and also discovered several new planets. We find that the radial velocity periodograms of many M dwarfs show several significant peaks. The development of robust methods to distinguish planet signatures from activity-induced radial velocity jitter is therefore among our priorities. Due to its large wavelength coverage, the CARMENES survey is generating a unique data set for studies of M star atmospheres, rotation, and activity. The spectra cover important diagnostic lines for activity (H alpha, Na I D1 and D2, and the Ca II infrared triplet), as well as FeH lines, from which the magnetic field can be inferred. Correlating the time series of these features with each other, and with wavelength-dependent radial velocities, provides excellent handles for the discrimination between planetary companions and stellar radial velocity jitter. These data are also generating new insight into the physical properties of M dwarf atmospheres, and the impact of activity and flares on the habitability of M star planets.

Cassegrain reflector

Spectral resolution

Radial velocity

Hollow-cathode lamp

10.1117/12.2313689

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Citations (58)