rotselogo.gif (2788 bytes)  ROTSE-III instrument

 

 

 

 

ROTSE-III consists of a set of 0.45 meter aperture, f/1.9 telescopes to be operated around the globe.  Currently four are funded.  The project's design is guided by the requirements of (1) ensuring a high rate of optical counterpart detections from GRB triggers, and (2) performing the most effective search for GRB 'orphans'.   The characteristics of these telescopes are:  

fast readout (~5sec.)

low noise (~5e-)

fast slew rates (~10 deg./sec)

back-illuminated CCD

optical focus placing most of point-source light in a single pixel.

 ROTSE_III.gif (28097 bytes)

Optics:

f/1.9 0.45 m modified Cassegrain telescope.          

Optical design by Harland Epps of Lick Observatory.

Optical tube design and manufacture by The J. Alan Schier Co.

Glass fabricated at Ohara Corp. and ground and polished at Tucson Optical Research Corp.

 

 

Imaging system:

Cameras designed and fabricated by Astronomical Research Cameras around EEV 2048 x 2048 14 micron imagers.

Estimated readout noise: 4 e- at 1 Megapixel/second.

 

Telescope mount:

AstroWorks rapid slewing mount with refitted drive components by The J. Alan Schier Co.

 

Data acquisition system:

ROTSE system with new camera and mount components operating on a network of two PC's under Linux.

 

Enclosure:

D & R Tank Co., Inc.

 

Current site:

Los Alamos, New Mexico

 

 

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