Automation of the Spectral-Line Imaging Camera for the Virginia Tech Spectral-Line Survey

The Virginia Tech Spectral-Line Survey (VTSS) is a high sensitivity, high resolution survey of Hydrogen-α and Sulfur-II emission in the full northern hemisphere. The instrument used for the survey is the Spectral Line Imaging Camera (SLIC). SLIC uses a fast(f/1.2) lens attached to a cryogenically cooled, TK 512x512 CCD with 27 micron pixels. The focal length of the lens is 58mm which gives a pixel size of 1.6 arcminutes. The diameter of each field is 10degrees. A filter wheel ahead of the lens allows for imaging at different wavelengths. Automating the imaging system is desirable and advantageous due to the large scope of the survey. A variety of devices have been developed in order to implement automation of the SLIC observatory. They include an automated focusing mechanism, filter wheel, liquid nitrogen auto fill system, motorized roll-off roof, cloud monitor, and an equatorial mount. A PERL script, called SLICAR (Spectral Line Imaging Camera Automation Routine), was written to control and communicate with the various hardware and software components. The program also implements a user prepared Observing File, and makes decisions based on observing conditions.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Physics

Department dc:contributor.department

Physics

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2002

Author dc:creator

• Portock, Kenneth Patrick

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Dennison, Brian K.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Broderick, John J.
• Simonetti, John H.

• WIM
• Telescope
• CCD
• Astronomy
• Automation
• Hydrogen alpha
• Observatory
• ISM
• BASIC Stamp
• PERL

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

etd-12182002-103940

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/36264