WIYN 3.5m Observatory

WIYN Status - Semester 2013B Proposer Information

pODI

Commissioning of pODI in static mode is essentially complete, and commissioning of coherent guiding mode is underway. We are on track to begin shared risk operations of pODI in March. Note that pODI is actually a system - we will be providing not only the instrument and the raw data, but also pipeline-processed data products to remove instrument trends, tools to access the data and data products, and access to the archived data. This part of the system, known as the "Pipeline, Portal, and Archive" (PPA), is hosted at Indiana University. Since commissioning is not yet completed for pODI, observations in 2013B will again be shared-risk. While we should have several months of normal operations under our belt before the 2013B semester starts, we cannot currently guarantee that all aspects of the instrument, including the PPA, will be fully tested and optimized. Therefore, (a) observers should be prepared to confirm the measurements they make (surprising results, especially), (b) some things may not yet have been implemented, and (c) some things may be inefficient. Information about proposing for pODI and its capabilities and performance can be found at within the ODI web pages.

Other instrument availability in 2013B

There are several key things to note about the availability of the other 3.5-m instruments in 2013B:

• In anticipation of the use of pODI for optical imaging, we are not offering MiniMo.
• All other WIYN instruments now share the second Nasmyth port, known as the Hydra port. Thus, SparsePak+WHIRC, WHIRC+Visitor Instruments, and Hydra will be block scheduled. Because the switch between Hydra and the Instrument Adapter System (IAS) that supports WHIRC, SparsePak, and Visitor Instruments takes 2-5 days to complete, we are currently discussing the optimal cadence for the switch. There will be a minimum of two months between changes of Hydra to other instruments on the Hydra port. Check back here for further updates.
• Repair work on the tip-tilt stage of WTTM has been completed. The instrument will be re-commissioned on-sky this spring. Principal investigators with programs that would benefit from actively using the WIYN Tip-Tilt Module (WTTM) for improving delivered image quality should contact the support scientists for WHIRC and view this web page for any updates prior to proposing.
• The delivered sensitivity of WHIRC has decreased significantly since it was commissioned in 2008, likely due to the degradation of the WTTM mirror coatings. (Please view the WHIRC Hot News page for the latest measurements.) We are developing a plan to re-coat these mirrors and intend for this to be completed prior to the 2013B semester. Successful proposers are encouraged to contact the support scientists for WHIRC and revisit this status page prior to their observing run(s).

Remote Observing

Remote observing is now available for any observer (including all NOAO observers), provided they adhere to the remote observing policies.

WIYN 0.9m Status

The WIYN 0.9-m is anticipating the delivery and commissioning of the Half Degree Imager (HDI) camera in February 2013. Through the NSF PREST program, the 0.9-m Consortium will be offering nights to the community through proposals to NOAO. In semester 2013B these nights will be offered as shared-risk, and the total number of nights available is currently under negotiation. Because of this and the fact that the commissioning will soon be happening, we strongly recommend that you re-visit this status page prior to proposing for the latest updates and links to current information. Assuming delivery is as scheduled, the instrument will have been commissioned prior to the March 30 proposal deadline, and updated information will be provided on this status page. If some issues arise after the March 30 deadline that seriously impacts the delivery or performance of HDI, we will work with successful proposers to see if their program can be accomplished using our current imager, S2KB and/or Mosaic. (For more information about filters available with HDI, etc., please view the 0.9m web pages; for information on Mosaic, please view the Mosaic web pages.)

	S2KB	HDI
Pixel size	21 x 21 um	15 x 15 um
	0.6 x 0.6 arcsec	0.43 x 0.43 arcsec
Number of pixels	2048 x 2048	4096 x 4112
Area on sky	20.5 x 20.5 arcmin	29.2 x 29.2 arcmin
Readnoise (various modes)	9, 14, 20	4, 5, 7, 10
Readout time (1 x 1 bin)	180s	111 sec/N amplifiers (N = 1, 2, 4)
Well depth (e-)	240,000	300,000
Coolant	LN2	Closed system
Quantum efficiency (%)
300nm	10	35
350nm	35	50
400nm	70	75
450nm	75	80
500nm	77	80
650nm	90	75
750nm	80	70
850nm	50	55
950nm	25	25

Key characteristics of S2KB and HDI compared

 

Any questions can be directed to Lori Allen (lallen at noao.edu).