ULTRACAM operations
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sheffield
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
ULTRACAM is a digital camera capable of taking (and storing) up to 500 red, green and blue images per second. The instrument was built in just under 3 years by a consortium from the Universities of Sheffield, Warwick and the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh, using a £300,000 grant awarded by PPARC. ULTRACAM saw 'first light' on 16 May 2002 on the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope (WHT) on La Palma, and first light on the 8.2-m Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile on 4 May 2005. To date, ULTRACAM has been awarded a total of 92 nights of time on these telescopes for projects as varied as white dwarfs, brown dwarfs, asteroseismology, pulsars, black-hole/neutron-star X-ray binaries, eclipsing binary stars, gamma-ray bursts, cataclysmic variables, extrasolar planets, active galactic nuclei, Kuiper Belt objects and Saturn's moon Titan. This grant proposal requests funding for the proper maintenance and operation of ULTRACAM, as well as a modest programme of minor upgrades, thereby ensuring that ULTRACAM maintains its position as the world's premier instrument for high-speed optical astrophysics. As well as maximising the return on PPARC's original investment, this money will also allow us to continue to offer ULTRACAM to others in the UK and astronomical community who wish to use it.
Organisations
Publications
Vuckovic M
(2007)
The binary properties of the pulsating subdwarf B eclipsing binary PG 1336-018 (NY Virginis)
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
De Martino D
(2008)
1RXS J173021.5-055933: a cataclysmic variable with a fast-spinning magnetic white dwarf
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Copperwheat C
(2008)
ULTRACAM observations of two accreting white dwarf pulsators
Durant M
(2008)
SWIFT J1753.5-0127: A Surprising Optical/X-Ray Cross-Correlation Function
in The Astrophysical Journal
Littlefair S
(2008)
On the evolutionary status of short-period cataclysmic variables
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Unda-Sanzana E
(2008)
GD 552: a cataclysmic variable with a brown dwarf companion?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Littlefair S
(2008)
On the evolutionary status of short period cataclysmic variables
Kurtz D
(2008)
A search for a new class of pulsating DA white dwarf stars in the DB gap A new class of pulsating white dwarf stars
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Littlefair S
(2008)
Optical variability of the ultracool dwarf TVLM 513-46546: evidence for inhomogeneous dust clouds ?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Gandhi P
(2008)
Rapid optical and X-ray timing observations of GX 339-4: flux correlations at the onset of a low/hard state ?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Bentley S
(2009)
A stellar flare during the transit of the extrasolar planet OGLE-TR-10b
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Unda-Sanzana E
(2009)
The not-so-extreme white dwarf of the CV GD 552
in Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Durant M
(2009)
Multiwavelength spectral and high time resolution observations of SWIFT J1753.5-0127: new activity?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Schwarz R
(2009)
Hunting high and low: XMM monitoring of the eclipsing polar HU Aquarii
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Gandhi P
(2009)
THE FLUX-DEPENDENT RMS VARIABILITY OF X-RAY BINARIES IN THE OPTICAL
in The Astrophysical Journal
Copperwheat C
(2009)
ULTRACAM observations of two accreting white dwarf pulsators
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dhillon V
(2009)
Optical pulsations from the anomalous X-ray pulsar 1E 1048.1-5937
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Copperwheat C.M.
(2010)
Physical properties of IP Pegasi: An eclipsing dwarf nova with an unusually cool white dwarf
in Proceedings of Science
Copperwheat C
(2010)
SDSS J0926+3624: The shortest period eclipsing binary star