LMIRcam
Project overview:
The LMIRcam project aims to add a mid-infrared imager to the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) NIC camera. The LBTI and NIC camera are being constructed by the University of Arizona (Phil Hinz, PI). The LBTI is an cryogenic infrared interferometric beam combiner that operates at the combined focus of the two 8.4-meter mirrors of the LBT. As such, it is capable of producing diffraction limited images that take advantage of the full 22.8-meter baseline of the LBT. At a wavelength of 3 micrometers this diffraction limit corresponds to an angular scale of 30 milliarcseconds. Such remarkably good resolution leads in turn, to excellent mid-infrared sensitivty. LBTI/NIC is designed for nulling interferometry at 10um, but leaves room for an additional imaging channel - LMIRcam. A dichroic mirror at the entrance to the system passes 10um light to the nuller while reflecting shorter wavelength light to LMIRcam. LMIRcam will use a 1024x1024 Teledyne Imaging Systems "mid-wave" HgCdTe array driven by fast readout electronics that permit frame rates of 30 frames per second (to avoid saturation under the highest background conditions.
