GLUV: a balloon-borne high-cadence ultraviolet monitoring telescope for supernova shock breakouts and exoplanet atmospheres

Rob Sharp; B. Tucker; R. Ridden-Harper; G. Bloxham; M. Petkovic

doi:10.1117/12.2231555

3 August 2016 GLUV: a balloon-borne high-cadence ultraviolet monitoring telescope for supernova shock breakouts and exoplanet atmospheres

Rob Sharp, B. Tucker, R. Ridden-Harper, G. Bloxham, M. Petkovic

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9908, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VI; 99080V (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2231555
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2016, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Abstract

Routine photometric monitoring at near-ultraviolet wavelengths (< 400 nm) is compromised from the ground due to highly variable atmospheric transmission and cloud cover. The GLUV project will mount a modest sized telescope (200 mm primary) on a series of long-duration high-altitude balloon flights. The wide field camera (~7 deg²) will perform high cadence (10-300 second rolling integrations) each night for campaign durations of three to six months. The principle science mission is the early-time detection of supernova shock-breakout at near-ultraviolet wavelengths. Additionally, early design analysis has shown the system is also able to probe the atmospheric composition of exoplanet atmospheres through the combination of UV transit measurements with ground-based measurements at longer wavelengths. In this presentation we consider the specifications for a long-duration balloon platform for such a mission, focusing on the necessary mission requirements (sensitivity, sky coverage, cadence etc.) and the available platform suitability. Particular attention is paid to platform flight altitude and atmospheric transmission.

Citation Download Citation

Rob Sharp, B. Tucker, R. Ridden-Harper, G. Bloxham, and M. Petkovic "GLUV: a balloon-borne high-cadence ultraviolet monitoring telescope for supernova shock breakouts and exoplanet atmospheres", Proc. SPIE 9908, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VI, 99080V (3 August 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2231555

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