Astrophysical Techniques V B. Nikolic Detectors Sensitivity Back matter Astrophysical Techniques V – Detectors B. Nikolic http://www.mrao.cam.ac.uk/ ˜ bn204/ mailto:[email protected]Astrophysics Group, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge February 2012
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Sensitivity Detectors Back matter - Astrobn204/lecture/2012/aptech-bn-l5.pdfSensitivity Back matter CCD Advantages/disadvantages I Very high quantum efficiency I Good linearity, dynamic
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Photon-counting detectors – measure number of photonsarriving per unit area in focal plane
Bolometer detectors – measure heat deposition per unitarea in focal plane
Coherent detectors – measure the electric field voltage ina mode of the EM field
AstrophysicalTechniques V
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Metrics describing detectors
I Quantum efficiency (QE)I Time constant (τ )I Dark current/noise (σd)I Noise-equivalent power (Pne)I Detectivity (D = 1/Pne)I Dynamic rangeI Spectral responseI Low and high cut-off wavelengths
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Charge-coupled devices (CCDs)
I Dominate UV/Optical astronomyI Conceptually:
I A 2D array of closely packed side-by-side capacitorsI Incoming photons converted to electrons by
photoelectric effect in silicon and accumulated in thecapacitors
I Manipulating voltages applied to capacitor allowsshifting of charge to neighbouring capacitor→sequential read-out of entire array
I Implemented using standard semiconductortechnology (1st CCD took one week from blackboardto testing!)
I Capacitors→ Minority carriers in a potential wellformed in a depleted region
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CCDs in a focal plane
ESO VST/OmegaCAM16k×16k pixels – 1 degree ×1 degree on sky
I Very high quantum efficiencyI Good linearity, dynamic rangeI Possible to build very large arraysI Good dark current performanceI Can shuffle the charges representing sky in synch
with the image
I Take time to read outI Read noise prevents single photon counting (but
electron multiplying CCDs overcome this problem)
AstrophysicalTechniques V
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Filters
Typical broad-band filtersThis plot: GEMINI/GMOS
(very close to the “SDSS” filters)
[Hook et al.(2004)Hook, Jørgensen, Allington-Smith, Davies, Metcalfe, Murowinski, and Crampton]
AstrophysicalTechniques V
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Near, Mid & Far- Infarred
I ’Band-gap’: difference in energy between valence andconduction bands (of states)
I Photon have to a minimum of this energy to exciteelectron-hole pairs
I Silicon band-gap too large for IR: use other materialsand “bump-bond” to silicon
whereS Energy received from an astronomical source
Fν Incident flux (e.g., in Jy)∆ν Filter width/bandwidth
A Effective collecting area (. π(D/2)2)t Integration time
“Detection” when this signal at least about 5 times greaterthen our estimated uncertainty in its value.
AstrophysicalTechniques V
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Uncertainty (optical)
I Self/Photon noise σS =√
S =√
Fν∆νAtI Background noise σB =
√Bν∆νAtΩ
Ω ≡Solid angle on skyI Dark current uncertainty σD =
√Ct
I Read noise σR = constant
Total uncertainty:
σT =√σ2
S + σ2B + σ2
D + σ2R (2)
How does this change for differenced/choppedobservations?
AstrophysicalTechniques V
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Some remarks on sensitivity
I Uncertainties are proportional to square root ofmagnitude of signal (Poisson statistics)
I For excellent CCDs and reasonably long integrationsusually limited by background noise. Only ways ofreducing it is:
I Better site (not for zodiacal background!)I Filters to remove bright lines from the atmosphereI Reduce losses in the mirrors/lenses (near-IR only)I Smaller angle on sky Ω
I In the IR, calibration/atmospheric effects can becomelimiting factors
AstrophysicalTechniques V
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Outline
Detectors
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AstrophysicalTechniques V
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References
I. M. Hook, I. Jørgensen, J. R. Allington-Smith, R. L.Davies, N. Metcalfe, R. G. Murowinski, andD. Crampton.The Gemini-North Multi-Object Spectrograph:Performance in Imaging, Long-Slit, and Multi-ObjectSpectroscopic Modes.PASP, 116:425–440, May 2004.doi: 10.1086/383624.