QUIRC:
Quick Near-Infrared Camera
Description
The QUick InfRared Camera (QUIRC) utilizes a
1024 x 1024 pixel HgCdTe Astronomical Wide Area Infrared Imaging
(HAWAII) array produced by Rockwell Science Center. This array is sensitive
to radiation from 0.7 to 2.5 microns. The reimaging optics provide a 1:1 scale.
Cold filter wheels holds the standard J, H, K, K' filters as well as the H+K
filter and other narrowband filters and a polarizer. The camera is used at
the University's
2.2-meter and 0.6-meter telescopes and the Canada- France-
Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) on Mauna Kea.
What's New
- 8/13/96 - Second filter wheel installed and operational. A new version
of the manual is available that gives up-to-date information on the changes.
See the update information
for a brief summary of the changes. A list of the
filters currently installed was added.
- 3/19/96 - new version of QUIRC manual (see link below)
incorporating upgrade information, properly formatted for duplex
printer (works on others too)
- 2/06/96 - QUIRC upgrade work; see the brief
update
for current information
Documentation, technical papers
- The QUIRC
manual,
in postscript form. Last update: October 30, 1997. A
pdf version
is also available and can be viewed with the Acrobat reader.
Papers
The following papers are relevant to QUIRC and the development of the HAWAII
1024x1024 arrays. For papers that include QUIRC data, the Hodapp et al. 1996
paper should be referenced.
- "The HAWAII Infrared Detector Arrays: Testing and Astronomical
Characterization of Prototype and Science Grade Devices",
Hodapp, K.-W., Hora, J. L., Hall, D. N. B., Cowie, L. L., Metzger, M., Irwin,
E., Vural, K., Kozlowski, L. J., Cabelli, S. A., Chen, C. Y., Cooper, D. E.,
Bostrup, G. L., Bailey, R. B., & Kleinhans, W. E.
6 November 1996; New Astronomy 1(2): 177-196 (see the
ON-LINE version)
- "Astronomical Characterization of 1024x1024 HgCdTe HAWAII Detector Arrays"
Hodapp, K.-W. et al. 1995, Proc. SPIE 2475, 8
On-line papers on HAWAII array development and characterization:
- Development
report
for the 1024x1024 detector (based on Kozlowski et al. 1995, SPIE 2268, 353)
-
Status report on the array project
(based on Hodapp et al. 1994, SPIE 2198, 668)
See also the Rockwell Science Center's
web page on
HAWAII arrays.
Useful Data
Detector Properties
Images
The following images were taken in February 1996 and
are available as FITS format files:
- Mask -
1=good pixel, 0=bad pixel in this image
- Dark - J
filter, 1sec integration time, taken at night with mirror cover and camera
shutter closed, all lights off
- "Flats" - these have been normalized to 1.0; one must multiply the data by
these images to properly normalize the pixel gains.
Filters Currently in QUIRC
The filters in QUIRC are changed periodically depending on the observing
schedule. A list of the
filters currently installed is available as a
postscript file. The filters are also listed from within the qcdcom
program using the ``filter'' command.
For specifying new filters for
QUIRC, the dimensions are:
Filter diameter: 1.000in +0 -0.01 (round);
Maximum thickness: 0.275 in. A round spacer must be made for each filter with
O.D. 1.00 in., I.D. 0.8 in., and a thickness = 0.275 in. - (filter thickness).
Filter transmission data
The following plots are available:
The data for each filter is also available. The
following are text files that contain two columns: the wavenumber or wavelength
and the transmission.
Sensitivity Estimates
Based on observations of 2 standard stars at the UH 2.2m telescope
on 2/6/96. The Point SRC (source) and
Mag/asec
are for 1
minute of integration time, 5 sigma. The point source detection values below
assume a PSF of 0.5 arcsec FWHM.
| Filter | Point SRC(Mag) |
Mag/asec |
Jy/ADU(1sec) |
| J | 18.6 | 17.9 |
1.052e-6 |
| H | 17.8 | 17.1 |
8.295e-7 |
| K | 16.2 | 15.5 |
9.622e-7 |
| H+K | 18.6 | 17.9 |
QUIST Information
QUIST Sensitivity Estimates
Based on observations of standard stars using QUIST at the UH 0.6m telescope
on 2/9/97. The Point SRC (source) and
Mag/asec are for 1
minute of integration time, 5 sigma. The point source detection values below
assume a PSF of 2.5 pixels FWHM.
| Filter | Point SRC(Mag) |
Mag/asec |
Jy/ADU(1sec) |
| K' | 14.5 | 16.4 |
7.644e-5 |
| Hs | 14.7 | 16.6 |
2.291E-4 |
| Hl | 14.3 | 16.2 |
2.391e-4 |
| 2.12 | 12.0 | 15.0 |
4.563E-6 |
| 2.26 | 12.7 | 15.5 | 1.412E-5 |
Recent QUIRC results
- 2.0 micron image of the
MOON
- 2/97
- Hubble Deep Field
observations made with QUIRC - 4/96
- Images from QUick Infrared Survey Telescope (QUIST) - 12/10/95
- Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
impact images of Jupiter - 7/94
Back to IfA Homepage
Last modified 1997 October 31
Joseph Hora (hora@galileo.ifa.hawaii.edu)
