Dark energy camera installation at CTIO: overview

Timothy M. Abbott; Freddy Muñoz; Alistair R. Walker; Chris Smith; Andrés Montane; Brooke Gregory; Roberto Tighe; Patricio Schurter; Nicole S. van der Bliek; German Schumacher

doi:10.1117/12.925692

17 September 2012 Dark energy camera installation at CTIO: overview

Timothy M. Abbott, Freddy Muñoz, Alistair R. Walker, Chris Smith, Andrés Montane, Brooke Gregory, Roberto Tighe, Patricio Schurter, Nicole S. van der Bliek, German Schumacher

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 8444, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes IV; 844445 (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.925692
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2012, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Abstract

The Dark Energy Camera (DECam) has been installed on the V. M. Blanco telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. This major upgrade to the facility has required numerous modifications to the telescope and improvements in observatory infrastructure. The telescope prime focus assembly has been entirely replaced, and the f/8 secondary change procedure radically changed. The heavier instrument means that telescope balance has been significantly modified. The telescope control system has been upgraded. NOAO has established a data transport system to efficiently move DECam's output to the NCSA for processing. The observatory has integrated the DECam highpressure, two-phase cryogenic cooling system into its operations and converted the Coudé room into an environmentally-controlled instrument handling facility incorporating a high quality cleanroom. New procedures to ensure the safety of personnel and equipment have been introduced.

Citation Download Citation

Timothy M. Abbott, Freddy Muñoz, Alistair R. Walker, Chris Smith, Andrés Montane, Brooke Gregory, Roberto Tighe, Patricio Schurter, Nicole S. van der Bliek, and German Schumacher "Dark energy camera installation at CTIO: overview", Proc. SPIE 8444, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes IV, 844445 (17 September 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.925692

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