Program objectives and specifications for the Ultra-Fast Astronomy observatory

Siyang Li; George F. Smoot; Bruce Grossan; Albert Wai Kit Lau; Marzhan Bekbalanova; Mehdi Shafiee; Thorsten Stezelberger

doi:10.1117/12.2548169

18 December 2019 Program objectives and specifications for the Ultra-Fast Astronomy observatory

Siyang Li, George F. Smoot, Bruce Grossan, Albert Wai Kit Lau, Marzhan Bekbalanova, Mehdi Shafiee, Thorsten Stezelberger

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 11341, AOPC 2019: Space Optics, Telescopes, and Instrumentation; 113411Y (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2548169
Event: Applied Optics and Photonics China (AOPC2019), 2019, Beijing, China

Abstract

We present program objectives and specifications for the first generation Ultra-Fast Astronomy (UFA) observatory which will explore a new astrophysical phase space by characterizing the variability of the optical (320 nm - 650 nm) sky in the millisecond to nanosecond timescales. One of the first objectives of the UFA observatory will be to search for optical counterparts to fast radio bursts (FRB) that can be used to identify the origins of FRB and probe the epoch of reionization and baryonic matter in the interstellar and intergalactic mediums. The UFA camera will consist of two single-photon resolution fast-response detector 16x16 arrays operated in coincidence mounted on the 0.7 meter Nazarbayev University Transient Telescope at the Assy-Turgen Astrophysical Observatory (NUTTelA-TAO) located near Almaty, Kazakhstan. We are currently developing two readout systems that can measure down to the microsecond and nanosecond timescales and characterizing two silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) and one photomultiplier tube (PMT) to compare the detectors for the UFA observatory and astrophysical observations in general.

Citation Download Citation

Siyang Li, George F. Smoot, Bruce Grossan, Albert Wai Kit Lau, Marzhan Bekbalanova, Mehdi Shafiee, and Thorsten Stezelberger "Program objectives and specifications for the Ultra-Fast Astronomy observatory", Proc. SPIE 11341, AOPC 2019: Space Optics, Telescopes, and Instrumentation, 113411Y (18 December 2019); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2548169

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available