Observations with the New Wide-Field Mid-Infrared Camera QWICPIC

Session 14 - Real Calibrations.
Display session, Monday, June 08
Atlas Ballroom,

[14.03] Observations with the New Wide-Field Mid-Infrared Camera QWICPIC

M. W. Werner, J. J. Bock, M. E. Ressler, S. V. Bandara, S. D. Gunapala (JPL)

We are developing a new mid-infrared camera, the Qwip Wide-field Imaging 2-Color Prime-focus Infrared Camera or 'QWICPIC', based on 256 x 256 Quantum Well Infrared Photodector (QWIP) focal plane arrays. The camera is designed to operate from the prime focus of the Hale 5-m telescope at Mt. Palomar with a wide 2' x 2' field of view and diffraction- limited 0.5" pixels. The excellent noise characteristics of QWIP focal plane arrays under large photon backgrounds enables QWICPIC to operate from the prime focus without a mechanical chopper. QWICPIC is designed to observe at 8.5 and 12.5 microns simultaneously to map comparatively large regions of the sky in thermal dust emission or to survey highly confused regions for reddened embedded objects. We present the results of our first observations with an engineering-grade QWIP detector in January 1998.

Program listing for Monday