How to pamper your optics:  environment control for the Argus Optical Array

Lawrence Machia; Henry Corbett; Nathan Galliher; Amy L. Glazier; Ramses Gonzalez; Alan Vasquez Soto; Nicholas M. Law; Glenn Walters

doi:10.1117/12.2630152

26 August 2022 How to pamper your optics: environment control for the Argus Optical Array

Lawrence Machia, Henry Corbett, Nathan Galliher, Amy L. Glazier, Ramses Gonzalez, Alan Vasquez Soto, Nicholas M. Law, Glenn Walters

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12182, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes IX; 121824J (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2630152
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2022, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Conference Poster

Abstract

Wide-field surveys using small-aperture, mass-produced telescopes have the potential to lower instrument hardware costs by orders of magnitude. The Argus Array series of instruments will open new pathways into the study of optical transients via high-cadence, all-sky imaging. The first prototype, the nine-telescope Argus Technology Demonstrator, is already onsky and validates novel concepts in tracking and high-speed data reduction. Next, the fully funded Argus Pathfinder consists of 38 telescopes on a single mount, and will observe the sky between -20° and +72° declination over the course of each night. The project is planned to culminate with the Argus Optical Array observing 20% of the entire sky simultaneously with 900 telescopes at cadences as fast as 1 second. As the number of telescopes increases, so do the maintenance requirements. For a standard open-air array on many mounts, this could result in operations costs far in excess of those of an equivalent monolithic telescope and lead to inconsistent sky coverage while parts of the array are offline. To limit wear and the need for cleaning, re-alignment and focusing, we seal our telescopes in a filtered and air-conditioned environment. This enclosure will be heavily insulated and maintained within a temperature range small enough to prevent measurable changes in telescope focus. Cameras and other power sources in the enclosure are water-cooled and the heat is removed to an isolated service module containing the array’s HVAC and support equipment. From there, the system temperature is maintained at a few seasonally changed set-points. This paper presents the design of the Pathfinder enclosure and environmental control system.

Citation Download Citation

Lawrence Machia, Henry Corbett, Nathan Galliher, Amy L. Glazier, Ramses Gonzalez, Alan Vasquez Soto, Nicholas M. Law, and Glenn Walters "How to pamper your optics: environment control for the Argus Optical Array", Proc. SPIE 12182, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes IX, 121824J (26 August 2022); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2630152

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