Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences (May 2023)

SPGCam: A specifically tailored camera for solar observations

  • David Orozco Suárez,
  • David Orozco Suárez,
  • Daniel Álvarez García,
  • Daniel Álvarez García,
  • Antonio C. López Jiménez,
  • Antonio C. López Jiménez,
  • María Balaguer Jiménez,
  • María Balaguer Jiménez,
  • David Hernández Expósito,
  • David Hernández Expósito,
  • Pierre Labrousse,
  • Pierre Labrousse,
  • Francisco J. Bailén,
  • Francisco J. Bailén,
  • Isabel Bustamante Díaz,
  • Isabel Bustamante Díaz,
  • Eduardo Bailón Martínez,
  • Eduardo Bailón Martínez,
  • Beatriz Aparicio del Moral,
  • Beatriz Aparicio del Moral,
  • José M. Morales Fernández,
  • José M. Morales Fernández,
  • Antonio Sánchez Gómez,
  • Antonio Sánchez Gómez,
  • Ángel Tobaruela Abarca,
  • Ángel Tobaruela Abarca,
  • Antonio J. Moreno Mantas,
  • Antonio J. Moreno Mantas,
  • José L. Ramos Más,
  • José L. Ramos Más,
  • Isabel Pérez Grande,
  • Isabel Pérez Grande,
  • Javier Piqueras Carreño,
  • Javier Piqueras Carreño,
  • Yukio Katsukawa,
  • Masahito Kubo,
  • Yusuke Kawabata,
  • Takayoshi Oba,
  • Manuel Rodríguez Valido,
  • Eduardo Magdaleno Castelló,
  • Jose Carlos Del Toro Iniesta,
  • Jose Carlos Del Toro Iniesta

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fspas.2023.1167540
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10

Abstract

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Designing a new astronomical instrument typically challenges the available cameras on the market. In many cases, no camera can fulfill the requirements of the instrument in terms of photon budget, speed, and even interfaces with the rest of the instrument. In this situation, the only options are to either downgrade the performance of the instrument or design new cameras from scratch, provided it is possible to identify a compliant detector. The latter is the case of the SPGCams, the cameras developed to be used with the Tunable Magnetograph (TuMag) and the Sunrise Chromospheric Infrared spectroPolarimeter (SCIP) for the Sunrise iii mission. SPGCams have been designed, developed, and built entirely in-house by the Solar Physics Group (SPG) at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC). We report here on the scientific rationale and system engineering requirements set by the two instruments that drove the development, as well as on the technical details and trade-offs used to fulfill the specifications. The cameras were fully verified before the flight, and results from the assembly and verification campaign are presented as well. SPGCams share the design, although some parametric features differentiate the visible cameras (for TuMag) and the IR ones (for SCIP). Even though they were specifically developed for the Sunrise iii mission, the robust and careful design makes them suitable for different applications in other astronomical instruments.

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