Detector Development for the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope
Lead Research Organisation:
Northumbria University
Department Name: Fac of Engineering and Environment
Abstract
In recent years, a wealth of observational data from a range of (highly successful) ground- and satellite-based solar facilities has revealed the perplexing and complex nature of the Sun's atmospheric structure and dynamics. This tremendous complexity is a result of the continuous interaction of the plasma motions with the magnetic field. To understand these interactions, we need to observe, model and interpret solar phenomena over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, and in particular establish the links between the small-scale processes and the large-scale phenomena.
Solar physics research is very strong in the UK and an area of high priority in the STFC Roadmap. The commissioning of the Rapid Oscillations in Solar Atmosphere imager in 2009 allowed the UK community to expand both its user base of ground-based solar facilities and its exploitation of data from such facilities, which can provide higher spatial and temporal resolution that their satellite-based counterparts. For the future, the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST), under construction by the US National Solar Observatory with first-light expected in 2019, will be a truly revolutionary facility for ground-based solar physics. It will operate in the optical and near-infrared and be the pre-eminent ground-based solar telescope for the foreseeable future. Key advances in its instrumentation over that currently available include ultra-high spatial (25 km on the solar surface) and temporal (millisecond) resolution, high resolution imaging spectroscopy and coronal magnetometry. The first-light science objectives of the ATST are at the core of UK solar physics research programmes, and it is clearly important for the UK community to have access to the facility to remain competitive.
Current UK-led technology has been highlighted as the best option for detectors meeting the science requirements of the ATST. In this proposal we aim to secure UK participation in the ATST and maximise the science return for the UK community at the time of first-light. This will be achieved by a joint programme, funded by STFC, a consortium of UK universities/research institute and industry (Andor Technology plc), on the development of new state-of-the-art detectors for the ATST, plus a set of software tools that will allow the optimal planning of ATST observations and the processing of the resultant datasets.
The main academic benefit for the UK will be dedicated observing time on the world-leading ATST facility, which our solar physics community will be in an excellent position to exploit. In terms of non-academic benefit, the proposed detector development will have a significant socio-economic impact and is therefore in line with the STFC strategy for economic growth through innovation. It will open new technological markets and provide growth and diversity in existing detector markets.
Solar physics research is very strong in the UK and an area of high priority in the STFC Roadmap. The commissioning of the Rapid Oscillations in Solar Atmosphere imager in 2009 allowed the UK community to expand both its user base of ground-based solar facilities and its exploitation of data from such facilities, which can provide higher spatial and temporal resolution that their satellite-based counterparts. For the future, the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST), under construction by the US National Solar Observatory with first-light expected in 2019, will be a truly revolutionary facility for ground-based solar physics. It will operate in the optical and near-infrared and be the pre-eminent ground-based solar telescope for the foreseeable future. Key advances in its instrumentation over that currently available include ultra-high spatial (25 km on the solar surface) and temporal (millisecond) resolution, high resolution imaging spectroscopy and coronal magnetometry. The first-light science objectives of the ATST are at the core of UK solar physics research programmes, and it is clearly important for the UK community to have access to the facility to remain competitive.
Current UK-led technology has been highlighted as the best option for detectors meeting the science requirements of the ATST. In this proposal we aim to secure UK participation in the ATST and maximise the science return for the UK community at the time of first-light. This will be achieved by a joint programme, funded by STFC, a consortium of UK universities/research institute and industry (Andor Technology plc), on the development of new state-of-the-art detectors for the ATST, plus a set of software tools that will allow the optimal planning of ATST observations and the processing of the resultant datasets.
The main academic benefit for the UK will be dedicated observing time on the world-leading ATST facility, which our solar physics community will be in an excellent position to exploit. In terms of non-academic benefit, the proposed detector development will have a significant socio-economic impact and is therefore in line with the STFC strategy for economic growth through innovation. It will open new technological markets and provide growth and diversity in existing detector markets.
Planned Impact
1. Public engagement
All Applicants are highly active in Public Understanding of Science (PUS) programmes linked to their research. Examples (which will continue over the grant period) include:
Queen's: talks at annual events (Horizons in Physics for 4th/5th-form students; Physics 6th-Form Open Days; Physics Teachers Conference). Hosts work experience for children, with summer projects funded by Nuffield Foundation. Partnership with W5 Discovery Centre, hosting talks/Q&A sessions and hands-on building games.
Armagh: tours of Observatory and Astropark, talks and special public lectures/exhibitions. Recent PUS projects include construction of the Human Orrery and facilitating an annual Cross-Border Schools Science Conference.
Glasgow: solar physics talks to societies, schools and public including in remote parts of Scotland; school visits with mobile planetarium; tours of observatory; Start-up Science school workshops with RSE and STFC Meet the Expert sessions.
Northumbria: PUS programme with local FE colleges, and involvement in regional/national science festivals (e.g. Newcastle). Recently awarded £1M from HEFCE Catalyst Fund for project to improve physics uptake. Creating Physics and Astrophysics outreach centre for this.
Sheffield: engages in school education programmes during e.g. National Science week, and recently joined University's Expert Guide, used frequently by journalists to source comments on topical news stories.
St Andrews: participates in local science festivals (e.g. Edinburgh, Fife, Dundee) and give schools talks. Lectures at the annual Sutton Trust Summer School and participates in the Annual Space Camp for P6 pupils. Contributes to Sun Trek, a Public Outreach/Educational Website (www.suntrek.org).
Warwick: broad and innovative approach to outreach, spanning formal presentations to interest groups (local astronomical societies), active engagement with media and larger projects (e.g. NESTA). Schools liaison officer supports links with schools and wider community.
2. Knowledge exchange
The large-area sCMOS camera to be developed is to meet the needs of next-generation solar telescopes and the broader astronomy community. However, the solar astronomy market alone is substantial, given the continued investment in existing solar facilities in Europe, US, India and China. There is also currently a demand for large-area CCD cameras in the general astronomy market. It is anticipated that a significant part of this market will migrate towards the next-generation of sCMOS detectors which offer faster speeds and lower noise. Non-solar applications include: near-Earth object detection, speckle interferometry, 'lucky astronomy' and other projects in high-time resolution astrophysics. It is also common in the astronomy marketplace to encounter significant opportunities for large-area cameras. For example, Andor is currently negotiating a contract to deliver 80 large-area CCD units for one project, with delivery over a 4-year period.
Although the unit sales of large-area sCMOS will not be as high as those for the current breed of mid-range sCMOS cameras for microscopy and optical electron microscope instrumentation applications, large-area astronomy detectors are typically priced much higher than mid-range detectors. Hence a lower volume market still yields an appropriate business case. A longer-term aim is to adapt the camera platform for high-speed X-ray detection applications, including protein crystallography and computed 3D X-ray tomography.
Competition currently does not exist, in that large-area fast sCMOS technology has not yet been offered, but that is no guarantee it will not arrive from other parties within the project timescale. The most likely competitor is a US-based company already very active in large-area CCDs. However, Andor is confident of holding a market leading position, given their breath of expertise in both sCMOS and vacuum sensor technology.
All Applicants are highly active in Public Understanding of Science (PUS) programmes linked to their research. Examples (which will continue over the grant period) include:
Queen's: talks at annual events (Horizons in Physics for 4th/5th-form students; Physics 6th-Form Open Days; Physics Teachers Conference). Hosts work experience for children, with summer projects funded by Nuffield Foundation. Partnership with W5 Discovery Centre, hosting talks/Q&A sessions and hands-on building games.
Armagh: tours of Observatory and Astropark, talks and special public lectures/exhibitions. Recent PUS projects include construction of the Human Orrery and facilitating an annual Cross-Border Schools Science Conference.
Glasgow: solar physics talks to societies, schools and public including in remote parts of Scotland; school visits with mobile planetarium; tours of observatory; Start-up Science school workshops with RSE and STFC Meet the Expert sessions.
Northumbria: PUS programme with local FE colleges, and involvement in regional/national science festivals (e.g. Newcastle). Recently awarded £1M from HEFCE Catalyst Fund for project to improve physics uptake. Creating Physics and Astrophysics outreach centre for this.
Sheffield: engages in school education programmes during e.g. National Science week, and recently joined University's Expert Guide, used frequently by journalists to source comments on topical news stories.
St Andrews: participates in local science festivals (e.g. Edinburgh, Fife, Dundee) and give schools talks. Lectures at the annual Sutton Trust Summer School and participates in the Annual Space Camp for P6 pupils. Contributes to Sun Trek, a Public Outreach/Educational Website (www.suntrek.org).
Warwick: broad and innovative approach to outreach, spanning formal presentations to interest groups (local astronomical societies), active engagement with media and larger projects (e.g. NESTA). Schools liaison officer supports links with schools and wider community.
2. Knowledge exchange
The large-area sCMOS camera to be developed is to meet the needs of next-generation solar telescopes and the broader astronomy community. However, the solar astronomy market alone is substantial, given the continued investment in existing solar facilities in Europe, US, India and China. There is also currently a demand for large-area CCD cameras in the general astronomy market. It is anticipated that a significant part of this market will migrate towards the next-generation of sCMOS detectors which offer faster speeds and lower noise. Non-solar applications include: near-Earth object detection, speckle interferometry, 'lucky astronomy' and other projects in high-time resolution astrophysics. It is also common in the astronomy marketplace to encounter significant opportunities for large-area cameras. For example, Andor is currently negotiating a contract to deliver 80 large-area CCD units for one project, with delivery over a 4-year period.
Although the unit sales of large-area sCMOS will not be as high as those for the current breed of mid-range sCMOS cameras for microscopy and optical electron microscope instrumentation applications, large-area astronomy detectors are typically priced much higher than mid-range detectors. Hence a lower volume market still yields an appropriate business case. A longer-term aim is to adapt the camera platform for high-speed X-ray detection applications, including protein crystallography and computed 3D X-ray tomography.
Competition currently does not exist, in that large-area fast sCMOS technology has not yet been offered, but that is no guarantee it will not arrive from other parties within the project timescale. The most likely competitor is a US-based company already very active in large-area CCDs. However, Andor is confident of holding a market leading position, given their breath of expertise in both sCMOS and vacuum sensor technology.
Publications

Broomhall A
(2019)
A Blueprint of State-of-the-art Techniques for Detecting Quasi-periodic Pulsations in Solar and Stellar Flares
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series

McLaughlin J
(2019)
3D WKB solution for fast magnetoacoustic wave behaviour within a separatrix dome containing a coronal null point
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Mooroogen K
(2017)
Dynamics of internetwork chromospheric fibrils: Basic properties and magnetohydrodynamic kink waves
in Astronomy & Astrophysics

Morton R
(2019)
A basal contribution from p-modes to the Alfvénic wave flux in the Sun's corona
in Nature Astronomy

Morton R
(2016)
Model fitting of kink waves in the solar atmosphere: Gaussian damping and time-dependence
in Astronomy & Astrophysics

Morton R
(2021)
Weak Damping of Propagating MHD Kink Waves in the Quiescent Corona
in The Astrophysical Journal

Thurgood J
(2019)
On the periodicity of linear and nonlinear oscillatory reconnection
in Astronomy & Astrophysics

Thurgood J
(2018)
Resistively-limited current sheet implosions in planar anti-parallel (1D) and null-point containing (2D) magnetic field geometries
in Physics of Plasmas

Tiwari A
(2019)
Damping of Propagating Kink Waves in the Solar Corona
in The Astrophysical Journal

Weberg M
(2018)
An Automated Algorithm for Identifying and Tracking Transverse Waves in Solar Images
in The Astrophysical Journal
Description | The grant provided by the STFC was for software development to aid the analysis of data from the forthcoming DKI Solar Telescope. To date, we have developed software for the accurate selection and extraction of data on magnetic wave guides visible in the Sun's atmosphere. Further, a semi-automated routine has been developed to enable the measurement and characterisation of waves along the magnetised features. The first generation version of the software has been made available via github & zendo. Further software development is ongoing to extend the capabilities and efficiency. |
Exploitation Route | The software has been made publicly available in advance of the first light of the DKI Solar Telescope in 2020. This should provide the community with time to learn how to use the software and enable immediate impact upon the arrival of science ready data from DKIST. The software will also be useful for additional studies with existing and future solar observatories. |
Sectors | Other |
URL | https://github.com/Richardjmorton/auto_nuwt_public |
Title | Solar wave tracking |
Description | To date, we developed software for the accurate selection and extraction of data on magnetic wave guides visible solar atmosphere. Further, an semi-automated routine has been developed to enable the measurement and characterisation of waves along the magnetised features, utilising a combination of non-linear least squares fitting, noise modelling and statistical analysis techniques. The software will be made public in the coming months. |
Type Of Material | Data analysis technique |
Year Produced | 2019 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | There are no notable impacts of the software. A condition of the awarded grant is that no publications can come from the work. The impact of the software development will be felt in 2020, when the DKI Solar Telescope is operational - the instrument for which the software is designed. |
URL | https://github.com/Richardjmorton/auto_nuwt_public |
Description | Collaboration with National Solar Observatory USA on software readiness |
Organisation | National Solar Observatory (NSO) |
Country | United States |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | A partnership between Northumbria and NSO was established to prepare the software so that it is ready for use with DKIST data upon first light (summer 2020). This plan was substantially disrupted due to the pandemic and subsequent lockdown, until late 2020. To date, we have not provided the partner with software and we are still in the software development phase. |
Collaborator Contribution | The partner has made no contributions to date due to the newness of the project. It is envisioned they will provide test data and port software code to different languages, e.g., python, such that the software is more widely accessible. |
Impact | N/A |
Start Year | 2017 |
Description | American Geophysical Union conference (California) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Presentation of software to international audience. Feedback and potential collaborative research were discussed. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Big Bang North East |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | The Big Bang North East is a free programme of events designed to get young people aged 11-19 excited about science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) in the real world. At the event we had a stall discussing how we use science and technology to observe and measure the Sun. The stall had interactive elements and enabled the children to interact with data from solar observatories. The interaction led to conversations about careers in science and also the science of the Sun. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | National Astronomy Meeting 2015 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The activity was a presentation at the conference, describing the software developed for the grant and future plans for software development. The purpose was to make the UK solar physics community aware of the software and to find interested parties to collaborate on development and testing. The presentation generated discussion and there was also initial interest for collaboration by audience members from other UK universities. These collaborations are currently under development. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Public talk to Explore (Adult Education centre in Newcastle) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | A public talk was given to a group of 15 adults as part of a life-long learning physics education programme. The talk discussed how we observe the Sun and the DKIST project. The talk led to questions and discussions with the audience. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Talk at Pint of Science 2016 (Newcastle) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The talk was attended by around 20 people as part of the Pint of Science, Science Festival. The talk led to questions and discussions about solar physics and how scientists measure the stars. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Talk to Chevening Scholars (Northumbria University) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Chevening scholars are future leaders, influencers, and decision-makers from all over the world on scholarships funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Around 40 scholars attended a talk during which I discussed the impact of the Sun and the Daniel K Inouye Solar Telescope (formerly the ATST). The talk was followed by questions and discussion afterwards, with many scholars saying they had never appreciated the extent of the impact of the Sun on the Earth. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |