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Optical Astronomy: Detectors

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Optical, Infrared and Radio Astronomy

Part of the book series: UNITEXT for Physics ((UNITEXTPH))

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Abstract

This chapter discusses the instruments used to detect the radiation collected by the optical telescopes and transform it into an electrical signal. The main classes of detectors for optical radiation will be presented. All detectors have a fundamental limit caused by the statistical properties of the electromagnetic radiation. The charge-coupled devices (CCDs) that are the most used detectors at telescopes are discussed in detail.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    http://sci.esa.int/future-missions-office/41840-s-cam-3-optical-astronomy-with-a-stj-based-imaging-spectro-photometer/.

  2. 2.

    http://www.bo.astro.it/loiano/TechPage/pagine/BfoscManualTechPage/BfoscManual.htm.

References

  1. Howell, S. B.: Handbook of CCD Astronomy, Cambridge University Press (2006)

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  2. Lèna, P. et al.: Observational Astrophysics. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg (2012)

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  3. McLean. I. S.: Electronic Imaging in Astronomy: Detectors and Instrumentation, Springer (2008)

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  4. Oswalt, T. D., McLean, I. S.: Planets, Stars and Stellar Systems. Volume I: Telescopes and Instrumentation. Springer (2013)

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  5. Oswalt, T. D., Bond, H. E.: Planets, Stars and Stellar Systems. Volume II: Astronomical Techniques, Software, and Data. Springer (2013)

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Rosa Poggiani

Authors
  1. Rosa Poggiani
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rosa Poggiani .

Problems

Problems

5.1

Discuss the difference between quantum efficiency and detective quantum efficiency.

5.2

Discuss the band gap in semiconductor and its impact.

5.3

Consider an 8-stage photomultiplier tube operating with a voltage of 1200 V with a secondary emission factor \(\delta = 3.5\). Estimate the number of electrons produced for each photoelectron extracted at the photocathode.

5.4

The CCD is the most used detector for optical astronomy. Discuss the CCDs in comparison with the other families of detectors (photomultipliers, photoconductors, plates).

5.5

Discuss the working principle of a three-phase CCD.

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Poggiani, R. (2017). Optical Astronomy: Detectors. In: Optical, Infrared and Radio Astronomy. UNITEXT for Physics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44732-2_5

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