Laboratory measurements of the "Pi of the Sky" optical system

Lech Wiktor Piotrowski; Aleksander Filip Żarnecki; Grzegorz Stepniak

doi:10.1117/12.838197

5 August 2009 Laboratory measurements of the "Pi of the Sky" optical system

Lech Wiktor Piotrowski, Aleksander Filip Żarnecki, Grzegorz Stepniak

Proceedings Volume 7502, Photonics Applications in Astronomy, Communications, Industry, and High-Energy Physics Experiments 2009; 75020E (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.838197
Event: Photonics Applications in Astronomy, Communications, Industry, and High-Energy Physics Experiments 2009, 2009, Wilga, Poland

Abstract

The ultimate goal of the "Pi of the Sky" apparatus is observation of optical flashes of astronomical origin and other light sources variable on short timescales, down to tens of seconds. We search mainly for optical emissions of Gamma Ray Bursts, but also variable stars, novae, blazars, etc. This task requires a precise photometry - accurate measurement of the source's brightness (and it's variability). "Pi of the Sky" single cameras' field of view is about 20° x 20°. This causes a significant deformation of a point spread function (PSF), reducing quality of brightness measurement with standard photometric algorithms. To improve photometry, an attempt to investigate PSF based on real star images was made. However, results turned out to be inconclusive due to miscellaneous sky-observing effects. Therefore we decided to perform laboratory measurements, using a CCD camera and an artificial light source as a star simulator. This work shows preliminary results of this study - a set of high resolution PSF shapes, pixel response and pixel sensitivity functions. Finally, an idea how to simulate a real star image in the "Pi of the Sky" system is presented.

Citation Download Citation

Lech Wiktor Piotrowski, Aleksander Filip Żarnecki, and Grzegorz Stepniak "Laboratory measurements of the "Pi of the Sky" optical system", Proc. SPIE 7502, Photonics Applications in Astronomy, Communications, Industry, and High-Energy Physics Experiments 2009, 75020E (5 August 2009); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.838197

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