Anthony J. Ferro

Properties of PACE‐I HgCdTe Detectors in Space: The NICMOS Warm‐Up Monitoring Program

We summarize the results of a monitoring program which was executed following the cryogen exhaustion of the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) on board the Hubble Space Telescope. During the subsequent warm-up, detector parameters such as detective quantum efficiency, dark current, bias offsets, and saturation levels have been measured over the temperature range 62 K to about 100 K. The measurements provide a unique database of the characteristics of PACE-I HgCdTe detector arrays in the space environment. A surprising result of the analysis is the fact that all three NICMOS detectors showed an enhanced dark current in the temperature range between 77 and 85 K. However, a subsequent laboratory experiment designed to replicate the on-orbit warm-up did not reproduce the anomaly, despite the fact that it employed a flight-spare detector of the same pedigree. The mechanism behind the on-orbit dark current anomaly is therefore believed to be unique to the space environment. We discuss possible explanations for these unexpected observational results, as well as their implications for future NICMOS operations.

NICMOS/HST Post-Perihelion Images of Comet Hale-Bopp in Outburst

Near-infrared images of comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) were obtained from NICMOS/HST on UT August 27–28, 1997, when the comet emerged from the 50 degree solar elongation limit at 2.99 AU from Earth. Diffraction-limited images were obtained with camera 2 filters centered at 1.87, 1.90, 2.04 and 2.22 μm with ∼0.2″ resolution (0.076″/pixel; 165 km/pixel). Over the 1.7-hour baseline of observation, a recent (<7 hours) outburst is seen in the form of an expanding spiral arm with a projected expansion velocity of ∼80 m/s. Other asymmetric features include a jet emanating from the nucleus and several static linear features. Comparisons of the flux distribution in the 2.04 and 2.22 μm filters indicate that the region near the nucleus exhibits a slight, ∼3%, water ice absorption.