LSST CCD Testing and Optimization

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) is a 8-meter diameter, wide-field survey telescope under construction in Chile, which will perform a 10-year optical and near-infrared survey using a 3.2 giga-pixel camera.  In order to achieve the desired read-out speed of 2 seconds, the LSST camera focal plane will be heavily segmented, consist of 189 4Kx4K charge-coupled devices, or CCDs.  The CCDs need to be properly optimized in order to meet the LSST specifications for electro-optical properties such as noise, dark current and charge transfer efficiency.  I will present the basics behind CCD operation, and demonstrate the calibration process to go from ugly raw images, to pretty pictures.  I will then give a brief overview of the current work at SLAC being done to test the LSST sensors, as well as my specific work on CCD optimization through variation of operating voltages.

Speaker: Adam Snyder, Stanford

Room 232