quire extensive testing , during which time it cannot be used for science . Hence planning of this activity must be done with care . We have great expectations for this new natural guide star system and expect that NGS2 can be delivered to the Observatory during the course of 2017 . We intend to report on further progress in future issues of GeminiFocus .
— Rene Rutten
Gemini South Laser Guide Star Facility News
On October 5-6 , the Gemini South Laser Guide Star Facility completed its Factory Acceptance Test ( FAT ) readiness review at Toptica AG Photonics in Munich , Germany ( Figures 4 and 5 ). The actual FAT occurred between November 28 – December 2 and was successful ; all the requirements met the specifications established in the contract . Also , the Toptica team provided initial training to Gemini South scientists and engineers attending the FAT . The Toptica laser was shipped on December 2nd and arrived safely at Cerro Pachón on December 13th ( Figure 3 ). We plan post-shipping Acceptance Testing ( AT ) in January 2017 . During the post-shipping AT , we will verify the laser survived the shipping , maintaining all functionality at the specified performance . We plan to start installing the laser ’ s subsystems at the telescope in May 2017 , with commissioning on-sky in August 2017 .
— Manuel Lazo
Through an exhaustive amount of troubleshooting , the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph ( GMOS ) upgrade team resolved the anomalies found in the as-delivered hardware for the GMOS-N CCD installation . We also called on Tim Hardy ( detector engineer ), who worked on the original set of GMOS-S Hamamatsu CCDs at the National Research Council of Canada-Herzberg , for additional support . As a result , we found and corrected some issues with the controller Digital Signal Processing code . We also developed a more efficient ground scheme for the Astronomical Research Camera controller to provide a more stable bias level and lower readout noise of about 4e- .
As we provide this report , the GMOS team continues to maintain schedule , having now completed the controller pre-installation Acceptance Testing in November ( Figures 6 and 7 ). We also measured good read noise and all functioning amplifiers , and found no significant cosmetic concerns . The installation of the new CCDs into GMOS-N is scheduled to start by the first week of February 2017 , with commissioning on-sky in mid March 2017 .
— Luc Boucher
Figure 3 ( top left ). Emmanuel Chirre ( left ) and Cristian Moreno stand guard over the new Toptica laser .
Figure 4 ( bottom left ). The Gemini South laser system being integrated at Toptica . The Electronics Cabinet ( at left ) is connected to the laser head without the protective covers ( at right ) through the black fiber splice boxes ( at center ).
Figure 5 ( below ). The Gemini South laser cabinet just before connecting to the laser head during the FAT readiness review on October 5-6 . Image credt : All three images by Manuel Lazo
Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph CCDs
January 2017 | 2016 Year in Review GeminiFocus
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