MIRAC: a mid-infrared array camera for astronomy

William F. Hoffmann; Giovanni G. Fazio; Kandiah Shivanandan; Joseph L. Hora; Lynne K. Deutsch

doi:10.1117/12.158697

20 October 1993 MIRAC: a mid-infrared array camera for astronomy

William F. Hoffmann, Giovanni G. Fazio, Kandiah Shivanandan, Joseph L. Hora, Lynne K. Deutsch

Proceedings Volume 1946, Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation; (1993) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.158697
Event: Optical Engineering and Photonics in Aerospace Sensing, 1993, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

MIRAC is a Mid InfraRed Array Camera built for ground-based astronomy by Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona, Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and the Center for Advanced Space Sensing at the Naval Research Laboratory. It utilizes a Hughes Aircraft Co. 20 X 64 pixel arsenic-doped silicon impurity band conduction hybrid array with a capacitance transimpedance amplifier readout (CRC 444A) operating at 10 K in a liquid helium-cooled cryostat. It has an operating wavelength range of 2 to 26 micrometers . Using 20 parallel readout lines and frame rate of 10 KHz, the array exhibits both low noise and good linearity at high background flux, which is essential for 10 and 20 micrometers ground-based observing conditions. It has a peak quantum efficiency of 0.42 at 22 micrometers , and a well size of 120,000 electrons. MIRAC has been operated on the Steward Observatory 2.3-meter and NASA 3-meter IRTF telescopes a number of times for observing a variety of objects including infrared-luminous galaxies, planetary nebulae, star forming regions, and young stellar objects. The NEFD of MIRAC on the IRTF at 11.7 micrometers is 0.1 Jy/square-arcsec in one second of integration on-source, four seconds total time, including nodding and chopping off-source.

Citation Download Citation

William F. Hoffmann, Giovanni G. Fazio, Kandiah Shivanandan, Joseph L. Hora, and Lynne K. Deutsch "MIRAC: a mid-infrared array camera for astronomy", Proc. SPIE 1946, Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation, (20 October 1993); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.158697

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available