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.

在宇宙中某些最极端的环境中发生的粒子加速度中产生了很高的能量（VHE）伽马射线。作为天体物理的使者，他们的观察结果为研究这些能量事件的条件和过程提供了重要的窗口。该奖项支持升级到位于亚利桑那州阿马多的Veritas伽马射线观察的镜像和相机系统的仪器开发。自2007年以来，Veritas Imaging Air Cherenkov望远镜直接暴露于亚利桑那州元素，从而影响了12米镜系统随时间的响应。镜面重铺和先进的防护涂层中的新发展使望远镜的反射率几乎可以恢复到其原始状态，从而显着增强了观察结果对VHE Gamma射线的敏感性。一套用于增强碰撞和带通滤波的焦平面仪器的完整套件还将改善望远镜观察到的有效镜面区域，大约两倍。合并后的升级将显着增加从天体物理光学器件（包括实时多通讯器随访）以及最近实现的新型新型Stellar强度干扰（SII）计划的VHE伽玛射线的持续Veritas观察任务。该奖项为培训学生和博士后研究人员提供了独特的机会，以开发这些新技术，这些新技术将增强现有的Veritas观察，并且对于将技术扩展到下一代Cherenkov望远镜阵列（CTA）至关重要。镜像和焦平面升级将安装在亚利桑那州现有的四个Veritas望远镜上。与原始的镜子制造商合作，将剥去现有的镜像涂料，并将新的铝和hafnium涂层应用于镜面，并增加了石英（Sio2）大衣，以防止Harmh Arizona Elements进行保护。计划一项加速计划，以迅速恢复尽可能多的镜子，该计划将迅速将望远镜的反射率提高到80-85％，从光线上的平均增加30-35％，这将提高观察值对软光谱源的敏感性大约2个。预计这种过度涂料的范围会更长的范围。未来的乐器。焦平面光学活动将允许发展径向梯度干扰滤波器技术，并大大降低焦平面噪声。这些发展可能会为提高大气成像大气Cherenkov观测值的敏感性（例如Veritas和CTA）提供未来的变革能力，以供未来的天体物理学研究。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛影响的评估来审查审查标准来通过评估来获得的支持。