JRA L3 Detector development

1. Progress Report, Oct 2005 Vik Dhillon (Univ. Sheffield) Tom Marsh (Univ. Warwick) Andy Vick (UKATC) JRA L3 Detector development

2. V2 L3 Driver board • 2nd Version of L3 Driver board now fully functional • Can be added to any Gen III SDSU controller without modification • Uses standard clock line boosted for L3 voltages • Computer controlled clock level in 20mV steps • Good stability

3. V2 Driver board tests • Tested with E2V CC87 • In operation the driver meets our requirements BUT • We are seeing clock induced charge as per other groups • There is some feed through of noise to from the DSP circuitry on the SDSU Consequently we are planning to fabricate a third generation of L3 driver.

4. V3 Driver fabrication • New driver uses a different voltage source to reduce noise • New driver will provide more capabilities for “shaping” the clock pulse • Already designed, awaiting fabrication

5. L3 Developments • SDSU has two DSPs, one in the controller and one on a PCI board (via fiber link) • PCI DSP is relatively unused • We have added threshold detection code to the PCI DSP • SDSU transfers raw images to PCI board • PCI board thresholds, and builds up frame from photon data • PCI board then transfers frame to PCI • Fits into existing SDSU system (Ultracam)

6. JRA3 2004 Expenditure • PPARC (UKATC) Submission to Opticon for 2004 was 1523 € • 913 € Direct costs (manpower) • 620 € Indirect costs (travel & equipment) • Univ. Sheffield Submission to Opticon for 2004 was 0€ • Univ. Warwick Submission to Opticon for 2004 was 0€

7. JRA3 2005 Expenditure • PPARC (UKATC) Expenditure so far in 2005 is aprox. 1,400 € • 1000 € Direct costs (manpower) • 400 € Indirect costs (travel & equipment) • Univ of Sheffield Expenditure so far in 2005 is aprox. 32,500 € • Univ of Warwick Expenditure so far in 2005 is aprox. 700 €

8. JRA3 2005/2006 Prediction • PPARC (UKATC) prediction for 1/1/05 to 30/6/06 is 26,000 € at the last estimate • 20,000 € Direct costs (manpower) • 6,000 € Indirect costs (travel & equipment) • Univ. of Sheffield prediction was 24,000 € • 20,000 € Direct costs (manpower) • 4,000 € Indirect costs (travel & equipment) • Univ. of Warwick prediction was 6,000 € • 5,000 € Direct costs (manpower) • 1,000 € Indirect costs (travel & equipment)

9. L3 Spectroscopy tests • Meeting at ATC 5th October with ESO staff • Assumption is that we can use EMMI spectrograph on NTT, La Silla • ESO are providing drawings for mounting etc • ESO have said they will loan us an EMMI red cryostat if necessary • Decision on whether we can use discretionary time, or have to apply for science time, is yet to be resolved

10. L3 Spectroscopy tests • Need to develop; • Basic tests for L3 chip on sky • Science tests for spectroscopy in photon counting mode • Science tests for spectroscopy in “low amplification” mode • We hope to be on sky in mid 2006 • Time for others to ask for science or instrument tests?

11. Expenditure to 30/6/2006 • 15 k€ New cryostat • 4 k€ New clock driver board fabrication • 2 k€ Miscellaneous cabling, racking and mechanical parts for EMMI mounting • 10 k€ Mechanical effort at Sheffield (for cryostat interior, mounting for EMMI, etc) • 20 k€ Electronics effort at UKATC on L3 • 15 k€ Shipping and travel to La Silla • Total 66 k€ between the three institutions