2006 — 2013 |
Sarajedini, Ata (co-PI) [⬀] Salzer, John Deliyannis, Constantine [⬀] Layden, Andrew Mathieu, Robert |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
The Half Degree Imager For the Wiyn 0.9m Consortium
AST-0618157 Constantine P. Deliyannis Indiana University
The WIYN 0.9-meter Consortium will a) build a modern, half-degree imager ("HDI") for the WIYN 0.9m telescope at Kitt Peak, b) make associated observatory upgrades for this imager, and c) carry out new outreach initiatives. This imager will feature a monolithic, 4-amplifier, fast-readout 4Kx4K CCD with 15 micron (=0.4") pixels that yield a 29'x29' field with high (and flat) U-response. HDI will replace the 15-year-old S2KB CCD, whose performance has been degrading and is vulnerable to complete failure. The return to the US Community includes a 10-20% share (Section7) of the observing time on the new imager for five full years, access to all archived data after a modest proprietary period, and access to WITN's special queues, including the long-term monitoring queue and the "opportunity" queue.
The WIYN 0.9-meter Observatory is operated by WIYN Observatory, Inc. and serves a consortium of ten partner institutions from across the nation. W09 supports highly diverse short and long-term scientific projects, educational activities with undergraduate and graduate students including three REU programs and a major outreach program to K-12 teachers (Teacher Leaders in Research Based Science Education). Most basically, this new imager will permit continued operations of this very successful and vital facility; failure of the present CCD would be the end of operations. HDI will also increase significantly the quality of observations and the observing efficiency, it will enable new and more ambitious scientific endeavors, and it will enable us to continue our current educational/outreach initiatives and goals and to improve and expand them.
This award will help to ensure a future for the WIYN 0.9m observatory (including continued access to the community of MOSAIC on the 0.9m, which has been oversubscribed by an average factor of 1.83 during the past 7 semesters). HDI will enable a number of diverse short term and long term programs and surveys, including fundamental precision open cluster UBVRI and Stromgren photometry using multiple photometric nights per cluster to reduce systematic calibration errors; a comprehensive survey of all northern open clusters; surface photometry and Halpha photometry of galaxies, broad-band and narrowband Halpha optical studies of the ALFALFA-HI survey galaxies, studies of starburst and normal galaxies; long-term monitoring of stellar periods in open clusters and star forming regions, and of long period variables in globular clusters; monitoring of cataclysmic variables and activity in open clusters; extensive surveys of of the stellar populations in M31 and M33 and of Milky Way spiral arms through OB associations; and coordinated photometric/spectroscopic observations with other telescopes such as the WIYN 3.5.
The WIYN Consortium has a track record of using the telescope to train numerous undergraduate students and graduate students. The survival of the observatory through HDI will allow these activities to continue, and the participants' experiences will be enhanced by the superior pedagogy enabled from use of HDI's state-of-the-art technology: introductory-level students, teachers, and Tohono O'odham tribe members will get a better glimpse of high-level astronomy, while advanced undergraduate and graduate students will receive superior training to prepare them for a career in astronomy.
This award is funded by the Division of Astronomical Sciences and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities.
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