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Kitt Peak National Observatory Status and Plans

National Optical Astronomy Observatory. Kitt Peak National Observatory Status and Plans. Richard F. Green Tucson, AZ 12 October, 2004. National Optical Astronomy Observatory. Outline. Instrumentation Progress NEWFIRM IRMOS Exoplanet Tracker (ET) WHIRC QUOTA ODI

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Kitt Peak National Observatory Status and Plans

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  1. National Optical Astronomy Observatory Kitt Peak National Observatory Status and Plans Richard F. Green Tucson, AZ 12 October, 2004

  2. National Optical Astronomy Observatory Outline Instrumentation Progress NEWFIRM IRMOS Exoplanet Tracker (ET) WHIRC QUOTA ODI NEWFIRM Science Planning Competitive context Science niche - performance edge Optimum mix of program lengths and hemisphere dwell times Longer-Term Goals - What best serves community interests?

  3. KPNO Priorities: 4K x 4K NEWFIRM • David Sprayberry will give more detailed description in the next presentation. • On track for first light before the end of CY05. • KPNO efforts intensifying - handling cart, telescope modifications, software interface • U MD has made critical contributions: • A significant fraction of the base capital budget • Personnel essential for pipeline development to meet schedule • Additional capital for maintenance of fabrication schedule, narrow-band filters • Proposed agreement was reviewed by NSF Program Review Panel, with input from this committee’s report and on price/night from working group convened by AURA OC. • Result: acceptable to finish first term; modest increase in value of a night for any future partnering.

  4. B. IRMOS Programmable multi-slit mask from digital multi-mirror array Feeds Rockwell Hawaii-1 (1Kx1K) HgCdTe array F/15 reimaging -> 0.25”/micro-mirror for 160”x120” FOV Measurements demonstrating contrast (background rejection) close to 1000. Highly successful first light commissioning in Sept. ‘04 On track for first proposals for 2005B.

  5. IRMOS on Kitt Peak 2.1m

  6. M31 H-band l/dl=1000 • Five long slits • Center slit on nucleus • visible in raw data • Slit widths of: • 3, 7, 15 pixels • 1.1, 2.7, 5.3 arc sec • Center slit 19” long • Single 100 second image without any processing

  7. Orion: Z and K (10s raw data)

  8. NGC 7129 H l/dl=300 spectra(100 seconds raw data)

  9. C. Exoplanet Tracker • Fiber-fed bench spectrograph with iodine reference; moire pattern from Michelson interferometer projected onto widened stellar spectrum for phase sensitivity. • Run with prototype at 2.1-m confirmed planet, 3.5 m/s day-to-day stability. • Demonstrated throughput sufficient to monitor 8th - 9th mag on 2.1-m. • Funded by NSF instrumentation grant • PI Jian Ge will make available as a user instrument, including reduction software and hardware support. • Ready for user collaboration in 05B • Latest improvements include better thermal stabilization, new CCD, GONG-like interferometer.

  10. WHIRC • WIYN High-Resolution IR Camera • PI: Margaret Meixner at STScI • 2K x 2K HgCdTe array with 0.09”/pixel for WTTM • Tip/tilt should frequently yield diffraction-limited images • Just granted ~$400K from STScI DDRF • NSF ATI proposal being submitted for balance with Ed Churchwell (U Wisc), Pat Knezek, and Don Figer as co-I’s. • NOAO will contribute a monsoon controller and a starter 1K array. • Plan for a 2-year project. • The image of NGC7027 from NIRIM on WIYN shows H2 in red, [Fe II] in green, and Br  in blue.

  11. QUOTA • Quad Orthogonal Transfer Array - 8K x 8K prototype camera for WIYN • Funded by successful NSF ATI proposal by George Jacoby for $462K • 2-yr project, beginning now. OTCCD pixel structure OTA: 8x8 array of OTCCDs Basic OTCCD cell

  12. One-Degree Imager • Current status: First foundry run of Orthogonal Transfer CCD arrays successfully yielding devices. Architecture developed by STA (Bredthauer) in close collaboration with Barry Burke of MITLL through WIYN / PanSTARRS collaboration. First devices from MITLL being tested now at UH - STA devices soon at NOAO. • NOAO helped fund foundry, and is supplying a Monsoon controller for lab testing. • Instrument Scientist is George Jacoby. • Conceptual Design Review - Dec 16,17. • WIYN Board authorized spending of up to ~$800K in FY05 - project proceeding! • Aiming for deployment of ODI in 2009.

  13. NEWFIRM Science - The Competitors • CFHT Legacy Survey • 450 Dark & Grey Nights over 5 years • Megacam - 36 CCDs, 1 deg FOV • Nested surveys: Very Wide, Wide Synoptic, Deep Synoptic • Started in 2003, first release in 2006 • UKIRT - UKIDSS • 1000 Nights over 7 years • WFCam - 4K x 4K NIR Mosaic • Multiple surveys - Galactic, extragalactic, wide+deep • Planned to commence in 2005 • VISTA • 4-m Wide-Field Telescope provided by UK for joining ESO/VLT • 8K x 8K NIR Mosaic covering 1 sq. deg. • Surveys for 75% of time for 12 years, not available to US • First light targeted for 2006 • William Hershel Telescope • Anglo-Australian Telescope • ESO 3.6-meter

  14. Your Advice Valued on the Following: • NEWFIRM’s competitive advantages include good performance for narrow-band and ultra narrow-band filters, and our community’s ability to decide how its time will be allocated. • What is a scientifically effective cadence for sharing NEWFIRM between KPNO and CTIO (6 mo - 2 yr), taking into consideration that KPNO observers may contribute 20% of their time to its development? • What approach to planning maximum scientific impact of the instrument should we take? What is the mix of program sizes that would get the most competitive scientific output? (Assume that a data pipeline and community-accessible archive for multiple use is a given.)

  15. Into the Future • The plan now is to move from completely general purpose 4-meter telescopes to a more limited instrument suite, which will have particular strength for surveys, while scheduling to allow a mix of program sizes. • The ten-year future will see the advent of PanSTARRS and LSST operations, which will open the floodgates of time-domain follow-up and color selection of targeted samples. • The longer term future will require specific justification for continued investment, in the era of TMTs.

  16. Time Domain • Multiple problems suited to 4-m aperture can be addressed in conjunction with LSST data: • Spectroscopy of the brighter SN Ia to calibrate LSST photometric classifications. • Radial velocities for vast samples of halo moving groups to get 3-D space motions. • Prompt response to flaring sources - optical bursts, microlens caustic crossings. • Custom cadences to confirm periods for Galactic and Local Group variables. • Redshifts for large samples of high-z quasar candidates, strong emission-line galaxies, binary stars, or other favorite color outliers. • Classification of objects for which colors fit no stellar or photo-z template.

  17. 4-meters -> 2014 “Considerata” • At any time, investment of federal resources should be based on the competitive scientific merit of the activity, judged against well-defined and agreed upon criteria. • The potential for time-domain and LSST-related science is enormous. • The challenge has been set by NSF - their planning assumption is that NOAO must operate LSST and TMT within its current budget envelope. • In that scenario, NOAO will invest ~20% of its current level in KPNO telescopes. • To counter that situation, we must make a case at Decadal Survey level for the full exploitation of LSST (and TMT), and the facilities required, like the 4-meter telescopes.

  18. National Optical Astronomy Observatory Longer-Term Goals In that context, what is your thinking on a seldom-changed configuration of instruments to position the Mayall (and Blanco) telescopes for continuing support in the LSST era? NEWFIRM + Mosaic? NEWFIRM + Prime Focus high-efficiency optical spectrograph + WHIRC & ODI RC Spec successor + PF Imager (Optical or NIR?) With 5-year production timescales, and NSF’s current planning, it’s not too soon to set the future course.

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