LOCNES (LO-Cost NIR Extended Solar telescope) is a solar telescope installed at the TNG (Telescopio Nazionale Galileo) in the Canary Islands. It feeds the Sun’s light into the NIR spectrograph GIANO-B through a 40-m patch of optical fibers. LOCNES has been designed to obtain high signal-to-noise ratio spectra of the Sun as a star with an accurate wavelength calibration through molecular-band cells. This is an entirely new area of investigation that will provide timely results to improve the search of telluric planets with NIR spectrographs such as iSHELL, CARMENES, NIRPS, and GIANO-B. We will extract several disc-integrated activity indicators and average magnetic field measurements for the Sun in the NIR. These parameters will then be correlated with both the RV of the Sun as a star and the resolved images of the solar disc in visible and NIR. Such an approach will allow for a better understanding of the origin of activity-induced RV variations in the two spectral domains and will help in improving the techniques for their corrections. LOCNES has been installed on the outer part of the TNG dome and it started its operation in the 2023 Springtime when we performed the commissioning of the solar telescope. The main results of the commissioning will be highlighted in this paper.
Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) has successfully deployed its new Telescope Control System (TCS). This paper focuses on the technical details of the upgrade, highlighting key improvements and showcasing the enhanced functionality and reliability of the new TCS. The development and deployment were carefully planned, incorporating 3D simulations and overlapping with other maintenance operations to minimize the impact on observational time. With new advanced features, such as a modular architecture and the use of a graphical programming language, the TCS enables easy on-the-fly testing of control algorithms for future developments.
SiFAP4XP is a new COTS PI instrument mounted at the TNG aimed at observing in the visible band some polarimetric objects simultaneously to IXPE. SiFAP4XP is an experience-based improvement over the previous version of the photometer SiFAP2 currently mounted at the F/11 focus of the TNG. SiFAP4XP takes advantage of the already installed polarimetric unit of Dolores, called PAOLO, based on a double Wollaston prism to split the 4 polarization parameters. Four pairs of Silicon MPPCs are mounted on both sides of a small optical bench and each pair of detectors receives from PAOLO the polarized light of the target and of the nearby sky through 8 optical relays. Another relay is dedicated to A&G. The control electronics are based on Red-Pitayas for photon counting, on GPS disciplined clocks for time tagging the photons with a resolution of 8ns. First light is scheduled for the end of February 2022.
During the last few years we have been working on a modernization plan for the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) Control System1,2. On October 2019 we had the opportunity to execute the first step of this process. The telescope was going to be stopped for one month due to M1 mirror being aluminized, so we could change the azimuth control system, that had been thoroughly tested during the summer, with no additional observational time loss. In this paper we present the new control system based on the CompactRIO platform from National Instruments, the switching process between the old and the new control systems, and a performance comparison between them.
GIANO-B is the high resolution near-infrared (NIR) spectrograph of the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG), which started its regular operations in October 2017. Here we present GIANO-B Online Data Reduction Software (DRS) operating at the Telescope.
GIANO-B Online DRS is a complete end-to-end solution for the spectrograph real-time data handling. The Online DRS provides management, processing and archival of GIANO-B scientific and calibration data. Once the instrument control software acquires the exposure ramp segments from the detector, the DRS ensures the complete data flow until the final data products are ingested into the science archive. A part of the Online DRS is GOFIO software, which performs the reduction process from ramp-processed 2D spectra to extracted and calibrated 1D spectra.
A User Interface (UI) developed as a part of the Online DRS provides basic information on the final reduced data, thus allowing the observer to take decisions in real-time during the night and adjust the observational strategy as needed.
The quality of SiFAP (Silicon Fast Astronomical Photometer) at the TNG has already shown its ability to easily detect optical pulses from transitional millisecond pulsars and from other slower neutron stars. Up to now the photometer based on Silicon Photo Multipliers manufactured by Hamamatsu Photonics (MPPC, Multi Pixel Photon Counter) was mounted (on and manually aligned with) a MOS mask at the F/11 focal plane of the telescope. In order to have a more versatile instrument with the possibility to remotely center and point several targets during the night we have decided to build a new mechanical support for the MPPCs and mount it on the Namsyth Interface (NI), where originally OIG and later GIANO were hosted. The MPPC module devoted to observe the target will be placed at the center of the FoV (on-axis), while the reference signal will be collected from a peripheral star in the FoV (Field of view) by means of the MPPC module that will be set at this position by a combination of a linear stage movement and a derotator angle. At the same time we have introduced the option for a polarimetric mode, with a 3rd MPPC module and a polarizing cube beam-splitter that separates the states between this and the on axis MPPC. SiFAP has been developed with 3 independent custom electronic chains for data acquisition, exploiting the 3 different outputs (analog, digital, USB pre-processed) provided by the MPPCs modules. The electronic chain fed by the analog output is able to tag a single photon ToA (Time of Arrival) with a time resolution of 25 ns, while the remaining electronic chains can integrate the signal into time bins from 100 ms down to 20 μs. The absolute time is provided by a GPS unit with a time resolution of 25 ns at 50% of the rising edge of the 1PPS (1 Pulse Per Second) signal which is linked to the UTC (Universal Time Coordinated). Apart from the versatility with the remotely controlled on sky configuration of the MPPCs, the mounting of SiFAP2 at the NI allows for a permanent hosting of the instrument, readily available for observations. The new polarimetric mode will then offer other scientific opportunities that have not been explored so far in high-temporal resolution astronomy.
KEYWORDS: Calibration, Lamps, Sensors, Spectrographs, Signal to noise ratio, Infrared radiation, Spectroscopy, Signal detection, Data processing, Near infrared spectroscopy
The NIR echelle spectrograph GIANO-B at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo is equipped with a fully automated online DRS: part of this pipeline is the GOFIO reduction software, that processes all the observed data, from the calibrations to the nodding or stare images. GOFIO reduction process includes bad pixel and cosmic removal, flat-field and blaze correction, optimal extraction, wavelength calibration, nodding or stare group processing. An offline version of GOFIO will allow the users to adapt the reduction to their needs, and to compute the radial velocity using telluric lines as a reference system. GIANO-B may be used simultaneously with HARPS-N in the GIARPS observing mode to obtain high-resolution spectra in a wide wavelength range (383-2450 nm) with a single acquisition. In this framework, GOFIO, as part of the online DRS, provides fast and reliable data reduction during the night, in order to compare the infrared and visible observations on the fly.
GIARPS (GIAno and haRPS) is a project devoted to have on the same focal station of the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) both high resolution spectrographs, HARPS–N (VIS) and GIANO–B (NIR), working simultaneously. This could be considered the first and unique worldwide instrument providing cross-dispersed echelle spectroscopy at a resolution of 50,000 in the NIR range and 115,000 in the VIS and over in a wide spectral range (0.383−2.45 μm) in a single exposure. The science case is very broad, given the versatility of such an instrument and its large wavelength range. A number of outstanding science cases encompassing mainly extra-solar planet science starting from rocky planets search and hot Jupiters to atmosphere characterization can be considered. Furthermore both instruments can measure high precision radial velocities by means the simultaneous thorium technique (HARPS–N) and absorbing cell technique (GIANO–B) in a single exposure. Other science cases are also possible. GIARPS, as a brand new observing mode of the TNG started after the moving of GIANO–A (fiber fed spectrograph) from Nasmyth–A to Nasmyth–B where it was re–born as GIANO–B (no more fiber feed spectrograph). The official Commissioning finished on March 2017 and then it was offered to the community. Despite the work is not finished yet. In this paper we describe the preliminary scientific results obtained with GIANO–B and GIARPS observing mode with data taken during commissioning and first open time observations.
The Multi-AO Imaging Camera for Deep Observations (MICADO), a first light instrument for the 39 m European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), is being designed and optimized to work with the Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics (MCAO) module MAORY (0.8-2.5 μm). The current concept of the MICADO instrument consists of a structural cryostat (2.1 m diameter and 2 m height) with the wavefront sensor (WFS) on top. The cryostat is mounted via its central flange with a direct interface to a large 2.5-m-diameter high-precision bearing, which rotates the entire camera (plus wavefront sensor) assembly to allow for image derotation without individually moving optical elements. The whole assembly is suspended at 3.6 m above the E-ELT Nasmyth platform by a Hexapod-type support structure. We describe the design of the MICADO derotator, a key mechanism that must precisely rotate the cryostat/SCAO-WFS assembly around its optical axis with an angular positioning accuracy better than 10 arcsec, in order to compensate the field rotation due to the alt-azimuth mount of the E-ELT. Special attention is being given to simulate the performance of the derotator during the design phase, in which both static and dynamics behaviors are being considered in parallel. The statics flexure analysis is done using a detailed Finite Element Model (FEM), while the dynamics simulation is being developed with the mathematical model of the derotator implemented in Matlab/Simulink. Finally, both aspects must be combined through a realistic end-to-end model. The experiment designed to prove the current concept of the MICADO derotator is also presented in this work.
The Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) is able to offer an F/11 Nasmyth focal station with an easy mount for small devices or compact instruments. The slit masks at the focal plane of the LRS spectrograph can be removed in few minutes from the selector stage. A FoV of ~9x9arcmin2 is available and a small instrument can be mounted instead of the slit on a mechanical interface of 240x125mm. The size of the instrument along the optical axis is limited by the support of the collimation lens of the spectrograph. This solution has already been used for small devices like a CCD camera or a SH sensor and a compact Hamamatsu photometer. Furthermore from 2016 it will host the folding optical relay for the GIARPS Instrument. This interface is an opportunity to test new instruments, prototypes or demonstrators in a not invasive or time consuming manner at a 4m class telescope.
GIARPS (GIAno and haRPS) is a project devoted to have on the same focal station of the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) both the high resolution spectrographs HARPS-N (VIS) and GIANO (NIR) working simultaneously. This could be considered the first and unique worldwide instrument providing cross-dispersed echelle spectroscopy at a high resolution (R=115,000 in the visual and R=50,000 in the IR) and over in a wide spectral range (0.383 - 2.45 μm) in a single exposure. The science case is very broad, given the versatility of such an instrument and the large wavelength range. A number of outstanding science cases encompassing mainly extra-solar planet science starting from rocky planet search and hot Jupiters, atmosphere characterization can be considered. Furthermore both instrument can measure high precision radial velocity by means the simultaneous thorium technique (HARPS - N) and absorbing cell technique (GIANO) in a single exposure. Other science cases are also possible. Young stars and proto- planetary disks, cool stars and stellar populations, moving minor bodies in the solar system, bursting young stellar objects, cataclysmic variables and X-ray binary transients in our Galaxy, supernovae up to gamma-ray bursts in the very distant and young Universe, can take advantage of the unicity of this facility both in terms of contemporaneous wide wavelength range and high resolution spectroscopy.
TNG is a 4m class active optics telescope at the Observatory of Roque de Los Muchachos. In the framework of keeping optimum performances during observation and continuous reliability the telescope control system (TCS) of the TNG is going through a deep upgrade after nearly 20 years of service. The original glass encoders and bulb lamp heads are substituted with modern steel scale drums and scanning units. The obsolete electronic racks and computers for the control loops are replaced with modern and compact commercial drivers with a net improvement in the motors torque ripple. In order to minimize the impact on the number of nights lost during the mechanical and electronic changes in the TCS the new TCS is developed and tested in parallel to the existing one and three steps will be taken to achieve the full upgrade. We describe here the second step that affected the main axes of the telescope, AZ and EL.
We present the results of our project for the design and construction and on-sky test of silicon
grisms. The fabrication of such devices is a complex and critical process involving litho-masking,
anisotropic etching and direct bonding techniques. After the successful fabrication of the silicon
grating, we have optimized the bonding of the grating onto the hypotenuse of a silicon prism to get
the final prototype. After some critical phases during the experimentation a silicon grism with 363
grooves/mm and a blaze angle of 14 degrees has been eventually fabricated. The application of an
A/R coating on both the surfaces has been the last step: this procedure is critical because of the
groove geometry of the diffraction grating, whose performace might be compromised by the
coating. Then, the grism was inserted in the filter wheel of the Near Infrared camera NICS, at the
focal plane of the National Galileo Telescope (TNG), the 3.5 m Italian facility in the Canary Islands
(E). The result of the on-sky tests are given in detail.
The realization of low-cost instruments with high technical performance is a goal that deserves efforts in an epoch of fast
technological developments. Such instruments can be easily reproduced and therefore allow new research programs to be
opened in several observatories. We realized a fast optical photometer based on the SiPM (Silicon Photo Multiplier)
technology, using commercially available modules. Using low-cost components, we developed a custom electronic chain
to extract the signal produced by a commercial MPPC (Multi Pixel Photon Counter) module produced by Hamamatsu
Photonics to obtain sub-millisecond sampling of the light curve of astronomical sources (typically pulsars). We built a
compact mechanical interface to mount the MPPC at the focal plane of the TNG (Telescopio Nazionale Galileo), using
the space available for the slits of the LRS (Low Resolution Spectrograph). On February 2014 we observed the Crab
pulsar with the TNG with our prototype photometer, deriving its period and the shape of its light curve, in very good
agreement with the results obtained in the past with other much more expensive instruments. After the successful run at
the telescope we describe here the lessons learned and the ideas that burst to optimize this instrument and make it more
versatile.
Usually observational astronomy is based on direction and intensity of radiation considered as a function of wavelength
and time. Despite the polarisation degree of radiation provides information about asymmetry, anisotropy and magnetic
fields within the radiative source or in the medium along the line of sight, it is commonly ignored. Because of the
importance of high resolution spectropolarimetry to study a large series of phenomena related to the interaction of
radiation with matter, as in stellar atmospheres or more generally stellar envelopes, we designed and built a dual beam
polarimeter for HARPS-N that is in operation at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo. Since the polarisation degree is
measured from the combination of a series of measurements and accuracy is limited by the instrumental stability, just the
great stability (0.6 m/s) and spectral resolution (R=115000) of the HARPS-N spectrograph should result in an accuracy
in the measurements of Stokes parameters as small as 0.01%. Here we report on the design, realization, assembling,
aligning and testing of the polarimetric unit whose first light is planned in August 2014.
Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) is a 4m class active optics telescope at the observatory of Roque de Los Muchachos. In the framework of keeping optimum performances during observation and continuous reliability the telescope control system (TCS) of the TNG is going through a deep upgrade after nearly 20 years of service. The original glass encoders and bulb lamp heads are substituted with modern steel scale drums and scanning units. The obsolete electronic racks and computers for the control loops are replaced with modern and compact commercial drivers with a net improvement in the tracking error RMS. In order to minimize the impact on the number of nights lost during the mechanical and electronic changes in the TCS the new TCS is developed and tested in parallel to the existing one and three steps will be taken to achieve the full upgrade. We describe here the first step affecting the mechanical derotators at the Nasmyth foci.
The Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG)[9] hosts, starting in April 2012, the visible spectrograph HARPS-N. It is based
on the design of its predecessor working at ESO's 3.6m telescope, achieving unprecedented results on radial velocity
measurements of extrasolar planetary systems. The spectrograph's ultra-stable environment, in a temperature-controlled
vacuum chamber, will allow measurements under 1 m/s which will enable the characterization of rocky, Earth-like
planets. Enhancements from the original HARPS include better scrambling using octagonal section fibers with a shorter
length, as well as a native tip-tilt system to increase image sharpness, and an integrated pipeline providing a complete set
of parameters.
Observations in the Kepler field will be the main goal of HARPS-N, and a substantial fraction of TNG observing time
will be devoted to this follow-up. The operation process of the observatory has been updated, from scheduling
constraints to telescope control system. Here we describe the entire instrument, along with the results from the first
technical commissioning.
The Adaptive Optics Module of the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (AdOpt@TNG) has enjoyed a huge refurbishment. A new WaveFront Sensing CCD (EEV39 80x80pixels by SciMeasure) has been mounted, allowing for up to 1KHz frame rate. Thanks to the versatility of the pyramid wavefront sensor, the fast changing of the 4x4 and 8x8 pupil sampling has been easily and successfully implemented. A dual pentium processor PC with Real-Time Linux has substituted the old VME as Real Time Computer. The implementation of the new Deformable Mirror by Xinetics will be also discussed. A new Graphical User Interface has been built to allow for user-friendly utilization of the module by astronomers. On-sky observations will be presented in terms of FWHM and Strehl Ratio for different values of guiding star magnitudes and seeing conditions. The encouraging on-sky results and overall system stability pushed to offer AdOpt@TNG to the international astronomical community.
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