Joel Herrera

First Light with RATIR: An Automated 6-band Optical/NIR Imaging Camera

The Reionization and Transients InfraRed camera (RATIR) is a simultaneous optical/NIR multi-band imaging camera which is 100% time-dedicated to the followup of Gamma-ray Bursts. The camera is mounted on the 1.5-meter Johnson telescope of the Mexican Observatorio Astronomico Nacional on Sierra San Pedro Martir in Baja California. With rapid slew capability and autonomous interrupt capabilities, the system will image GRBs in 6 bands (i, r, Z, Y, J, and H) within minutes of receiving a satellite position, detecting optically faint afterglows in the NIR and quickly alerting the community to potential GRBs at high redshift (z>6-10). We report here on this Springs first light observing campaign with RATIR. We summarize the instrumental characteristics, capabilities, and observing modes.

Automation of the OAN/SPM 1.5-meter Johnson telescope for operations with RATIR

The Reionization And Transients Infra-Red (RATIR) camera is intended for robotic operation on the 1.5-meter Harold Johnson telescope of the Observatorio Astronómico Nacional on the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir, Baja California, Mexico. This paper describes the work we have carried out to successfully automate the telescope and prepare it for RATIR. One novelty is our use of real-time absolute astrometry from the finder telescopes to point and guide the main telescope.

Deterministic convergence in iterative phase shifting

Previous implementations of the iterative phase shifting method, in which the phase of a test object is computed from measurements using a phase shifting interferometer with unknown positions of the reference, do not provide an accurate way of knowing when convergence has been attained. We present a new approach to this method that allows us to deterministically identify convergence. The method is tested with a home-built Fizeau interferometer that measures optical surfaces polished to lambda/100 using the Hydra tool. The intrinsic quality of the measurements is better than 0.5 nm. Other possible applications for this technique include fringe projection or any problem where phase shifting is involved.

HyDRa: polishing with a vortex

We present a hydrodynamic, deterministic polishing tool (HyDRa) based on the fluid-jet polishing (FJP) principle. In contrast to other FJP methods, the polishing flux is accelerated with pressurized air and then expelled at high velocity, forming a radial, grazing abrasive pattern that exerts no net force of the tool on the surface to be polished, since the vacuum and thrust forces that are created at the tools output balance each other out. The grazing effect minimizes microroughness, making it appropriate for finishing high-quality surfaces. The principle of operation as well as polishing results of a series of small etalon plates are presented.

HyDRa: control of parameters for deterministic polishing

Deterministic hydrodynamic polishing with HyDRa requires a precise control of polishing parameters, such as propelling air pressure, slurry density, slurry flux and tool height. We describe the HyDRa polishing system and prove how precise, deterministic polishing can be achieved in terms of the control of these parameters. The polishing results of an 84 cm hyperbolic mirror are presented to illustrate how the stability of these parameters is important to obtain high-quality surfaces.

Night Sky Brightness at San Pedro Martir Observatory

We present optical UBVRI zenith night sky brightness measurements collected on eighteen nights during 2013--2016 and SQM measurements obtained daily over twenty months during 2014--2016 at the Observatorio Astronomico Nacional on the Sierra San Pedro Martir (OAN-SPM) in Mexico. The UBVRI data is based upon CCD images obtained with the 0.84m and 2.12m telescopes, while the SQM data is obtained with a high-sensitivity, low-cost photometer. The typical moonless night sky brightness at zenith averaged over the whole period is U = 22.68, B = 23.10, V = 21.84, R = 21.04, I = 19.36, and SQM = 21.88 mag/square arcsec, once corrected for zodiacal light. We find no seasonal variation of the night sky brightness measured with the SQM. The typical night sky brightness values found at OAN-SPM are similar to those reported for other astronomical dark sites at a similar phase of the solar cycle. We find a trend of decreasing night sky brightness with decreasing solar activity during period of the observations. This trend implies that the sky has become darker by delta_U =0.7, delta_B =0.5, delta_V =0.3, delta_R =0.5 mag/square arcsec since early 2014 due to the present solar cycle.

HyDRa: polishing process convergence rate optimization

In an effort to optimize the hydrodynamic radial (HyDRa) polishing process for applications where the amount of material that has to be removed implies long polishing times, we have developed a method to determine the optimum correction fraction that has to be made for a given error map, in terms of the level of determinism of the process, the number of iterations, and their associated polishing runs as well as run times.

The Telescopio San Pedro Mártir project

The Telescopio San Pedro Mártir project intends to construct a 6.5m telescope to be installed at the Observatorio Astronómico Nacional in the Sierra San Pedro Mártir in northern Baja California, Mexico. The project is an association of Mexican institutions, lead by the Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica and the Instituto de Astronomía at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, in partnership with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the University of Arizona’s Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory. The project is currently in the planning and design stage. Once completed, the partners plan to operate the MMT and TSPM as a binational astrophysical observatory.

San Pedro Martir Telescope: Mexican design endeavor

The Telescopio San Pedro Martir (TSPM) is a new ground-based optical telescope project, with a 6.5 meters honeycomb primary mirror, to be built in the Observatorio Astronomico Nacional on the Sierra San Pedro Martir (OAN-SPM) located in Baja California, Mexico. The OAN-SPM has an altitude of 2830 meters above sea level; it is among the best location for astronomical observation in the world. It is located 1830 m higher than the atmospheric inversion layer with 70% of photometric nights, 80% of spectroscopic nights and a sky brightness up to 22 mag/arcsec2. The TSPM will be suitable for general science projects intended to improve the knowledge of the universe established on the Official Mexican Program for Science, Technology and Innovation 2014-2018. The telescope efforts are headed by two Mexican institutions in name of the Mexican astronomical community: the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and the Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica. The telescope has been financially supported mainly by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACYT). It is under development by Mexican scientists and engineers from the Center for Engineering and Industrial Development. This development is supported by a Mexican-American scientific cooperation, through a partnership with the University of Arizona (UA), and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO). M3 Engineering and Technology Corporation in charge of enclosure and building design. The TSPM will be designed to allow flexibility and possible upgrades in order to maximize resources. Its optical and mechanical designs are based upon those of the Magellan and MMT telescopes. The TSPM primary mirror and its cell will be provided by the INAOE and UA. The telescope will be optimized from the near ultraviolet to the near infrared wavelength range (0.35-2.5 m), but will allow observations up to 26μm. The TSPM will initially offer a f/5 Cassegrain focal station. Later, four folded Cassegrain and two Nasmyth focal stations are contemplated, nominally with focal ratios of f/5 and f/11. The concept will allow the use of existing instruments like MMIRS and MEGACAM. Available experience from currently working ground-based telescopes will be integrated with up-to-date technology specially for control and information management systems. Its mount is the well-known azimuth-elevation configuration. The telescope total mass is estimated in about 245 metric tons, with a total azimuth load of 185 metric tons including around 110 metric tons as the total elevation load. A tracking error lower than 0.03 arcsec RMS is expected under steady wind up to 50 Km/h. An open-loop pointing accuracy between 10 and 2 arcsec is planned. The TSPM is in its design phase. It is the first large optical ground-based telescope to be designed and developed primarily by Mexican scientists and engineers. This endeavor will result in the improvement of the scientific and technical capabilities of Mexico including complex scientific instruments development, systems engineering and project management for large engineering projects. In this paper, which aims to gather the attention of the community for further discussions, we present the engineering preliminary design, the basic architecture and challenging technical endeavors of the TSPM project.

Wavefront coding applied to a two-mirror telescope

A wave-front coded imaging system is an optical-digital method for aberration control. Wave-front coding technology incorporates an aspheric element in the optical system in order to capture a coded image and by digital processing decode it to obtain the final image. The WFC system is very insensitive to defocus-like aberrations and thereby becomes a tool in the aberration balancing for telescope systems. We propose WFC technology to be implemented in a two spherical mirror telescope. In this work we present the design and simulation of the proposed telescope, trade-offs encountered in the design process and aspects of the image restoration.