PISCO: the Parallel Imager for Southern Cosmology Observations

Brian Stalder; Antony A. Stark; Stephen M. Amato; John Geary; Stephen A. Shectman; Christopher W. Stubbs; Andrew Szentgyorgyi

doi:10.1117/12.2054933

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8 July 2014 PISCO: the Parallel Imager for Southern Cosmology Observations

Brian Stalder, Antony A. Stark, Stephen M. Amato, John Geary, Stephen A. Shectman, Christopher W. Stubbs, Andrew Szentgyorgyi

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9147, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V; 91473Y (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2054933
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2014, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

Abstract

We present the design and lab performance of the Parallel Imager for Southern Cosmology Observations (PISCO), a photometer for the 6.5 m diameter Magellan telescopes that produces g^l, r^l, i^l, and z^l band images simulta- neously within a 9 arcminute field of view. This design provides efficient follow-up observations of faint sources, particularly galaxy clusters and supernovae. Simultaneous imaging speeds the observing cadence by at a factor of ~ 3 (including optical losses) compared to other photometric imagers. Also, the determination of color (flux ratio between bands) is relatively immune to time variations in gray opacity due to clouds, so observations can proceed in less than optimal conditions. First light is expected in September 2014 2014.

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Brian Stalder, Antony A. Stark, Stephen M. Amato, John Geary, Stephen A. Shectman, Christopher W. Stubbs, and Andrew Szentgyorgyi "PISCO: the Parallel Imager for Southern Cosmology Observations", Proc. SPIE 9147, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V, 91473Y (8 July 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2054933

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