The Instrumentation Group of the Astronomical Institutes is mainly active in developments of new instrumentation. It is also responsible for operation and maintenance. The group includes people from all three institutes - technical staff, students and scientists. Technical developments are mainly telescope instrumentation projects in the optical and in the radio.

• Optical: CCD camera systems and more complex instruments based on CCD's. e.g.: HoLiCam, a CCD system (2000 x 2000 pixels) for the 1m telescope of the Hoher List observatory of the University of Bonn, and BUSCA, a 4-color simultaneous camera with 4 CCD systems (each 4000 x 4000 pixels) for the Calar Alto observatory (operated by the MPI for Astronomy/Heidelberg).
• Radio: Equipment for the mm and sub-mm radio range. e.g.: PLL84, a 84 GHz PPL transmitter for holographic testing of the KOSMA 3-m mm/submm telescope on Gornergrat, operated by the 1. Physical Inst. of the University of Cologne.

Current and recent major projects

• DIVA:

Characterization of the CCD type E2V (Marconi) CCD42-20 for the astrometric space mission DIVA. The study includes radiation tests.
• Bonn Shutters:

Development of  large format photometric camera shutters, particularly for CCD mosaic cameras. The largest shutter built so far is for the 16000 x 16000 pixel CCD mosaic camera of the ESO VLT survey telescope.
• BUSCA:

A simultaneous four color camera, an imaging device using dichroic beamsplitters and 4 CCD units to get images in four color channels at the same time. (For the 2.2m and 3.5m telescopes on Calar Alto). (in progress)
• 1m telescope control:

The 1m f/15 Cassegrain telescope at the Hoher List observatory is in operation since 1965. The 35 years old telescope control is now (1999) beeing replaced with a state of the art computer control. The control of peripheral units (e.g. focus, autoguider, dome) will be organized as a distributed system based on micro controllers and the popular CAN bus.
• HoLiCam:

2 channel read out 2kx2k CCD camera for the 1m Cassegrain telescope at "Hoher List" observatory. (finished)
• 88GHz PLL:

A compact (portable) and very robust 88GHz PLL transmitter for holographic testing of the KOSMA telescope surface. (finished)
• BOCCIA:

2000x2000 and 4000x4000 pixels CCD camera systems (Bonn CCD Imagers for Astronomy) used with WWFPP, HoLiCam, ToAstCam, the DWARF and BUSCA. A new fast readout CCD controller (up to 1 Mpixel/sec, 16 Bits) is currently beeing developed. (continously improved)
• WWFPP:

The "Weitwinkel-Flächen-Photometer und -Polarimeter", a focal reducer system for wide field surface photometry and polarimetry at the MPIA 1.23m telescope on Calar Alto. (finished)
• REVRAVEL:

The Reversion Radial Velocity Spectrometer for the 1m Cassegrain telescope at "Hoher List" observatory. (in progress)

People to contact:
K.S. de Boer, Prof. Dr.
K. Reif, Dr.

Further Information: Dr. K. Reif

Last modified August 26, 2002
reif@astro.uni-bonn.de