GeminiFocus January 2017 | Page 20

Figure 6 . The new
Hamamatsu CCDs mounted and aligned in the
Focal Plane Array and ready to be installed into the
Test Cryostat to start pre-installation
Acceptance Testing . Image credit :
John White
Figure 7 . The first light ( raw ) image of the new Hamamatsu CCDs ; the 12 amplifiers see light , and show no evidence of cosmetic defects . Image credit : Luc Boucher
Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph CCDs
Through an exhaustive amount of troubleshooting , the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph ( GMOS ) upgrade team resolved the anomalies found in the as-delivered hardware for the GMOS-N CCD installation . We also called on Tim Hardy ( detector engineer ), who worked on the original set of GMOS-S Hamamatsu CCDs at the National Research Council of Canada-Herzberg , for additional support . As a result , we found and corrected some issues with the controller Digital Signal Processing code . We also developed a more efficient ground scheme for the Astronomical Research Camera controller to provide a more stable bias level and lower readout noise of about 4e- .
As we provide this report , the GMOS team continues to maintain schedule , having now completed the controller pre-installation Acceptance Testing in November ( Figures 6 and 7 ). We also measured good read noise and all functioning amplifiers , and found no significant cosmetic concerns . The installation of the new CCDs into GMOS-N is scheduled to start by the first week of February 2017 , with commissioning on-sky in mid March 2017 .
— Luc Boucher
Gemini High-resolution Optical SpecTrograph ( GHOST )
As we near the midpoint of the GHOST project build phase , the build team continues to receive parts from its suppliers , and the assembly of the instrument and the development of the software progresses on schedule . The team recently completed some verifications on the telescope at Gemini South .
In November 2016 , engineers from the Australian Astronomical Observatory ( AAO ) and Gemini successfully verified the alignment of the Instrument Support Structure ( ISS ) mounting surface relative to the telescope optical axis . This was important to check because any misalignment needed to be within tolerance to ensure that the GHOST system throughput is maintained . The GHOST Cassegrain unit is designed to be mounted directly on the ISS and both of its integral field units are designed to project the telescope pupil , which is coincident with the secondary mirror , onto the fiber core of the
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