Category: Astroengineering
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Infrared Camera Design
Cryogenic (SWIR; 0.7 – 2.5 µm) infrared cameras are specialized. For astronomical purposes thermal radiation from a room-temperature lens would swamp the signal beyond 1.5 µm. To deal with this signal such cameras at low temperatures (say 120 Kelvin). The set of materials that is transmissive to 2.5 µm with *well known* indices of refraction…
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Spectrograph 0th-Order Calculations
I’m trying to make a tool that allows the user to compute anything they ever wanted to know about spectrographs. It’s here: DESIGN YOUR OWN SPECTROGRAPH: http://nickkonidaris.github.io/SpectrographCalculator/ The default parameters are for DBSP on the Hale 200-inch telescope. The parameters are listed the following format: Parameter name (variable name) [ text box with value ]…
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Classical and β Anamorphism in Spectrographs
The anamorphic factor is something that must be understood and manipulated in spectrographs operating off Littrow. I describe the anamorphic factor through a series of videos.
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Chimera 2 first light
Chimera 2, a new high-speed and wide-field imager for Palomar achieved first light! Gregg Hallinan is the PI, I’m proud to have performed the lens-design for this instrument, all optics are off-the-shelf, so the real challenge was the imaginative way in which the off-the-shelf optics were combined. An example Chimera 2 first light image is…
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Canon f/2.0 200-mm ZEMAX model
Based on Japanese Patent J2001, 253050, A, I constructed an approximate optical model for the Canon EF f/2.0L 200-mm lens. I can’t know for sure if this model matches the constructed hardware, but the model is a good starting point. Download the zemax archive file
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MOSFIRE Data Reduction Pipeline
A new MOSFIRE data reduction pipeline has been released. See the release notes.
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SED Machine Assembled Camera
The SED Machine camera (120-mm f/5.5) operates over a pretty broad wavelength range (360 nm — 1000 nm) and delivers absolutely beautiful images. It’s a Petzval-like lens with an external (real) pupil about one camera focal length in front. The designed images were achieved (as can be seen from this mercury-lamp spectrum:
Nick Konidaris 