Nick Kaiser (Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii)
Keywords: Pan-STARRS
Abstract:
The University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy is developing a large optical synoptic survey telescope system: the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System. When completed, Pan-STARRS will consist of an array of four 1.8m optical subsystems with a very large field of view (7 square degrees). Each optical system will be equipped with a 1.4 billion pixel CCD camera possessing low noise and rapid readout features. The collected image data will be reduced in near real time to produce both cumulative static sky and difference images from which stationary transients or variables and moving objects can be detected. Pan-STARRS will be capable of surveying up to ?6000 square degrees per night to a detection limit of approximately 24th magnitude. A major goal of the project is to survey for potentially hazardous objects (PHOs) with Pan-STARRS capable of detecting and establishing orbits for most objects down to 300m size, a 3x improvement over the current best asteroid search programs. In addition, Pan-STARRS data will be used to address a wide range of astronomical questions in the Solar System, the Galaxy, and the Cosmos at large.
This talk is intended to outline the Pan-STARRS science goals, the top-level science requirements, and the various survey modes needed to support these goals. A detailed comparison is made between the performance metric for Pan-STARRS and the future LSST design. We show simulated projected completeness for detection of PHOs of various impact energies, and indicate the capability of Pan-STARSR to conduct dark energy science in anticipation of future programs such as LSST or JEDI.
Date of Conference: September 10-14, 2006
Track: Pan-STARRS