Detector and Optics Assembly
in Dewar
The Keck Long Wavelength InfraRed Camera (LWIRC) is a mid-IR imager which was originally planned as one of the first generation Keck instruments but was delayed by numerous problems. Two years ago, Bill Danchi (UCB, Space Science Laboratory) and his development group accepted the challenge of completing the instrument. His team of instrument workers, headed by Ed Wishnow, have installed a new detector and solved many of the other problems that plagued the original LWIRC.
On August 14, the reconstructed instrument was reviewed by a committee of WMKO personnel and members of the UC and Caltech science community and deemed ready for delivery to Hawaii. A preliminary review held in June had identified several items which required further attention, including four which were considered of primary concern. The LWIRC instrument workers satisfactorily resolved these four primary issues as well as many lesser problems.
The revised LWIRC camera now features a Boeing 128×128 Si:As BIB moderate flux array, providing imaging capability throughout the 7-13 µm wavelength range. The instrument will feature three plate scales (0.05"/pix, 0.10"/pix, 0.20"/pix) and is intended for use at the forward Cassegrain focus of the Keck I telescope.
LWIRC may undergo some fine tuning at Keck Headquarters in Waimea prior to commissioning on the telescope. LWIRC is intended to complement the Long Wavelength Spectrograph (LWS) in providing a wide range of capabilities to Keck observers. Both instruments are scheduled to commission during the 1998B semester and bring the much needed mid-IR capability to Keck Observatory.