MCP detector development for UV space missions

Conti, Lauro; Barnstedt, Jürgen; Hanke, Lars; Kalkuhl, C.; Kappelmann, N.; Rauch, T.; Stelzer, B.; Werner, K.; Elsener, Hans-Rudolf; Schaadt, D. M.

doi:10.1007/s10509-018-3283-4

Cited by 26 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The UV and visible light channels are parted via a dichroic beamsplitter on the instruments platform and provide each access to the full field of view of the telescope. As the UV microchannel plate detector [3] is significantly larger than the tracking instrument, it effectively provides a larger field of view for science applications. The two separated beams are then redirected to the corresponding detector using highly 1 provides an overview on the basic performance parameters of both instruments together with the STUDIO telescope.…”

Section: Studio Optical Payloadmentioning

confidence: 99%

Status, flight preparation, and future instrument opportunities of the STUDIO balloon-borne telescope platform

Bougueroua

Ångerman

Barnstedt

et al. 2022

Ground-Based and Airborne Telescopes IX

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The Stratospheric UV Demonstrator of an Imaging Observatory (STUDIO) is a balloon-borne platform designed and built to carry different astronomical instruments or telescopes. It thereby offers an accessible and affordable platform for observations in atmosphere-constrained wavelength ranges. In its current setup, it houses an imaging micro-channel plate (MCP) detector on a 0.5 m aperture telescope. The first flight of this setup is planned during the summer turnaround conditions over Esrange, Sweden, in the 2023 or 2024 season. This mission will act as a demonstrator and technical test for the versatile and scalable astronomical platform as well as for the aforementioned MCP instrument. If successful, it will furthermore allow first scientific studies of variable hot compact stars and flaring M-dwarf stars within the galactic plane.In this paper, we present the design and current status of testing of the STUDIO platform, particularly including environmental tests of the optical elements, on-sky tests of the gondola attitude control system, and simulation results of the image stabilization system. We furthermore describe the planned system tests as part of the flight preparation. As an outlook, we present details on how the platform can be used to fly different instruments or telescopes, including potential flight routes and science opportunities.

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Section: Studio Optical Payloadmentioning

confidence: 99%

Status, flight preparation, and future instrument opportunities of the STUDIO balloon-borne telescope platform

Bougueroua

Ångerman

Barnstedt

et al. 2022

Ground-Based and Airborne Telescopes IX

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“…In Conti et al (2018) [31] , we described how we optimized the sealing process for photodiodes with a diameter of about 2.5 cm. To ensure good wetting of the sealing surfaces, the contact angle of the molten sealing alloy (In-Bi) on several metals was measured in a goniometer.…”

Section: Detector Sealingmentioning

confidence: 99%

A photon counting imaging detector for UV space missions

Conti

Barnstedt

Diebold

et al. 2022

Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2022: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray

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We present the status of our imaging and photon counting UV-MCP detector versions, sensitive in the ultraviolet wavelength range. The detectors have a spatial resolution of 2k pixels per axis, are photon counting, have no readout noise and a very low dark rate, making it ideal for photometry and spectroscopy. The detector can be easily adapted to the requirements of different missions, e.g., only the mechanical interfaces and an electrical interface must be defined to integrate the detector, it is relatively lightweight (3 kg) and has a power consumption of only 15 W.For the sealed version of the detector, we are currently testing a sealed detector head with a cesium telluride photocathode in semitransparent mode. The open version of the detector uses a lightweight door mechanism and is currently optimized to use a KBr photocathode. Interesting advances have been made for AlGaN on MgF 2 and MgO substrates. A complete h-GaN film could be grown on MgO (0 0 1), and a complete c-GaN film on MgO (1 1 0). Good crystal quality is crucial to obtain a high QE AlGaN photocathode.Finally, the challenges towards a sealed detector head with a diameter of about 8 cm are described. By rotating the detector window on the detector head during the sealing process, we were able to seal the detector. The photocathode in the sealed MCP detector is stable for at least weeks.

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“…The x-ray multimirror satellite's optical monitor [75], the ultra-violet/optical telescope (UVOT) on the Swift gamma-ray observatory [76] and the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite [77] all employ MCP-based photon counting image intensifiers. Developments in the field are ongoing [78,79], and recent improvements using atomic layer deposition include robust substrates that able to withstand high processing temperatures, very low background rates, high stable gains, and low outgassing [80,81].…”

Section: Microchannel Plate (Mcp)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Fast Timing Techniques in FLIM Applications

Hirvonen

Suhling

2020

Front. Phys.

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Fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) is increasingly used in many scientific disciplines, including biological and medical research, materials science and chemistry. The fluorescence label is not only used to indicate its location, but also to probe its immediate environment, via its fluorescence lifetime. This allows FLIM to monitor and image the cellular microenvironment including the interaction between proteins in their natural environment. It does so with high specificity and sensitivity in a non-destructive and minimally invasive manner, providing both structural and functional information. Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC) is a popular, widely used, robust and mature method to perform FLIM measurements. It is a sensitive, accurate and precise method of measuring photon arrival times after an excitation pulse, with the arrival times not affected by photobleaching, excitation or fluorescence intensity fluctuations. It has a very large dynamic range, and only needs a low illumination intensity. Different methods have been developed to advance fast and accurate timing of photon arrival. In this review a brief history of the development of these methods is given, and their merits are discussed in the context of their applications in FLIM.

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MCP detector development for UV space missions

Cited by 26 publications

References 22 publications

Status, flight preparation, and future instrument opportunities of the STUDIO balloon-borne telescope platform

Status, flight preparation, and future instrument opportunities of the STUDIO balloon-borne telescope platform

A photon counting imaging detector for UV space missions

Fast Timing Techniques in FLIM Applications

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