MRI Consortium: Development of Upgraded Stellar Intensity Interferometry Instrumentation for the VERITAS Observatory

MRI 联盟：为 VERITAS 天文台开发升级版恒星强度干涉测量仪器

基本信息

批准号：
2117641
负责人：
David Kieda
金额：
$ 39.98万
依托单位：
University of Utah
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2021
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2021-09-01 至 2025-08-31
项目状态：
未结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2117641&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
MRI Consortium Development Upgraded Stellar

项目摘要

Very-high energy (VHE) gamma-rays are produced in the particle accelerations that occur in some of the most extreme environments in the Universe. As astrophysical messengers, their observation provides an important window to study the conditions and processes underway in these energetic events. This award supports the instrument development for upgrades to the mirror and camera systems of the VERITAS gamma-ray observatory located at Amado, AZ. In operation since 2007, the VERITAS imaging air Cherenkov telescopes are directly exposed to the Arizona elements, impacting the response of the 12 meter mirror systems over time. New developments in mirror resurfacing and advanced protective coatings make it possible to restore the reflectivity of the telescopes to nearly their original state, significantly enhancing the observatory’s sensitivity to VHE gamma rays across the full range of accessible energies. A complementary suite of focal plane instrumentation for enhanced collimation and bandpass filtering will also improve the effective mirror area observed by the telescopes by approximately a factor of two. Combined, the upgrades will significantly augment the on-going VERITAS observing missions of VHE gamma-rays from astrophysical optics, including real-time multi-messenger follow-ups, and the recently implemented novel stellar intensity interferometry (SII) program. The award provides unique opportunities for training of student and postdoctoral researchers in developing these new technologies that will enhance the existing VERITAS observatory and are critical to extending the techniques to the next generation Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). The mirror and focal plane upgrades will be installed on the existing four VERITAS telescopes in operation in Arizona. In cooperation with the original mirror manufacturer, the existing mirror coatings will be stripped and a new aluminum and hafnium coating will be applied to the mirror surface, with a quartz (SiO2) overcoat added for protection from the harsh Arizona elements. An accelerated program to rapidly recoat as many mirrors as possible is planned that will quickly bring the telescopes' reflectivity to 80-85%, providing a 30-35% average increase in light that will improve the observatory’s sensitivity to soft spectrum sources by approximately a factor of 2. It is anticipated that this overcoat technology will prove to be more durable and last longer (up to 5 years), reducing long-term maintenance for VERITAS and future instruments. The focal plane optics activities will allow for the development of the radial-gradient interference filter technology and a substantial reduction in focal plane noise. These developments may provide future transformational capacity for improving the sensitivity of large Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov observatories, such as VERITAS and CTA, for future astrophysics research.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

极高能（VHE）伽马射线是在宇宙中一些最极端环境中发生的粒子加速中产生的，作为天体物理信使，它们的观测为研究这些高能事件中正在发生的条件和过程提供了一个重要的窗口。该奖项支持对位于亚利桑那州阿马多的 VERITAS 伽马射线天文台的镜子和相机系统进行升级的仪器开发，该望远镜自 2007 年开始运行。直接暴露在亚利桑那州的自然环境中，随着时间的推移，会影响 12 米镜面系统的响应。镜面重铺和先进保护涂层的新发展使望远镜的反射率恢复到接近原始状态成为可能，从而显着提高了天文台的灵敏度。用于增强准直和带通滤波的一套互补的焦平面仪器也可以将望远镜观测到的有效镜面面积提高大约两倍。综合起来，这些升级将显着增强正在进行的 VERITAS 天体物理光学 VHE 伽马射线观测任务，包括实时多信使后续观测，以及最近实施的新型恒星强度干涉测量 (SII) 计划。培训学生和博士后研究人员开发这些新技术的独特机会，这些新技术将增强现有的 VERITAS 天文台，并将这些技术扩展到下一代切伦科夫望远镜阵列（CTA）。亚利桑那州现有的四台正在运行的 VERITAS 望远镜将安装反射镜和焦平面升级。与原始反射镜制造商合作，现有的反射镜涂层将被剥离，并在反射镜表面涂上新的铝和铪涂层。添加了石英（SiO2）涂层，以加速保护免受亚利桑那州严酷天气的影响。计划快速重新涂覆尽可能多的镜子，这将使望远镜的反射率迅速达到 80-85%，从而提供。光线平均增加 30-35%，这将使天文台对软光谱源的灵敏度提高约 2 倍。预计这种涂层技术将被证明更耐用且使用寿命更长（长达 5 年），从而减少VERITAS 和未来仪器的长期维护。焦平面光学活动将有助于开发径向梯度干涉滤波器技术并大幅降低焦平面噪声。这些发展可能会为提高灵敏度提供未来的变革能力。大型成像大气切伦科夫天文台，如 VERITAS 和 CTA，反映了未来的天体物理学研究。该奖项是 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。