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Facilities

SPG

Facilities

  • Will Deich, Steve Allen

Scientific Programming Group

The UCO/Lick Observatory SPG writes software in support of engineering and optical R&D, telescope and instrument operation, observing, and data reduction.

Founding member Bob Kibrick joined Lick Observatory in the 1970's followed by De Clarke in the early 1980's, then Dean Tucker and Steve Allen in 1989. Will Deich came on board in 1996. John Gates joined in 1999. Marc Reinig joined in 2004 to support the Laboratory for Adaptive Optics at the Center for Adaptive Optics Kyle Lanclos joined in 2008.

The group provides all levels of software support. This ranges from chip-level DSP programming and embedded code for Galil motion controllers to high-level GUIs and image reduction tools for end users (astronomers).

We have built software for controlling telescopes and instruments deployed at Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton in California. We have also built software for the HIRES, ESI and DEIMOS spectrographs, the Keck-1 atmospheric dispersion compensator, and the LRIS "red-side" upgrade, all deployed at Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. We provide ongoing software support for these instruments at both observatories. We provide software for operating various equipment in UCO/Lick laboratories. We consult on the design of software for future instruments.

Current Members

Projects

  • Kast Double Spectrograph - Control software for the Kast Spectrograph on the Shane telescope at Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton in 1992
  • Anorad Profilometer - Measurement control and data reduction software for the profilometer used in the UCO/Lick Optical Laboratory. Initially used to fabricate the convex aspheric surface of the secondary mirrors for the Keck telescopes. Subsequently used during the fabrication of many other optical elements for instruments.
  • LIRC-II - Control software for the second Long InfraRed Camera used on the Kuiper Airborne Observatory and at Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton.
  • HIRES - Control software for the HIgh Resolution Echelle Spectrograph installed on the Keck I telescope on Mauna Kea in 1994.
  • AMOS - Control and observation planning software for the robotically-positioned fiber heads of the Automated Multi-Object Spectrograph at Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton.
  • PFCam - Control software for the Prime Focus Camera installed on the Shane telescope at Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton.
  • ESI - Control software for the Echellette Spectrograph and Imager installed on the Keck I telescope on Mauna kea in 1999.
  • HIRES Exposure Meter - Control software for the HIRES Exposure Meter installed on the Keck I telescope on Mauna Kea in 1999.
  • DEIMOS - Control software for the DEep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph installed on the Keck II telescope on Mauna Kea in 2002.
  • AO Upgrade - Control software to upgrade the Adaptive Optics system installed on the Shane telescope at Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton.
  • HIRES Mosaic Upgrade - Control software for the new mosaic detector being installed into HIRES on the Keck I telescope on Mauna Kea during 2004.
  • APF - Control software for the new Automated Planet Finder telescope and its spectrograph to be installed at Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton during 2005.


UC Observatories (UCO) is a multicampus astronomical research unit that serves eight UC campuses.

We operate the Lick Observatory, the UCO technical labs at UC Santa Cruz and UCLA, and we are a managing partner of the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. UCO is also the center for the UC participation in the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project.

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