Mgr. Asen Christov, Ph.D.
The “Laboratory for testing and development of optical sensors for astronomy” is a newly established facility, equipped to characterize various types of optical sensors (CCD, CMOS, etc.). This involves measurements at different wavelengths, temperatures, exposure times and operation modes of the tested devices.
Our research is focused on studying the performance of photo-sensors for astronomical applications (CCD, CMOS). We work on detail characterization of devices to be installed in telescopes (LSST, FRAM and others).
The results of these efforts help in removing instrumental effects from the observations and therefore greatly improve the performance of the observatories. To this end, we conduct precision measurements in our dedicated “Laboratory for testing and development of optical sensors for astronomy” at FZU. We also contribute to such efforts within the international LSST collaboration, where we are active within the Sensor Anomaly and the Instrumental Effects working groups. Members of our team visit the other involved laboratories to exchange knowledge and we participate in remote data analysis.
Our group also performs tests on sensors and cameras that are not yet selected for a particular application in a telescope. We can then provide the necessary information for making the right choice of instrumentation for future projects or upgrades of existing ones.
The “Laboratory for testing and development of optical sensors for astronomy” is a newly established facility, equipped to characterize various types of optical sensors (CCD, CMOS, etc.). This involves measurements at different wavelengths, temperatures, exposure times and operation modes of the tested devices. We use radioactive calibration sources (such as Fe55) for precision testing.