Abstract
A wave of precision radial velocity (RV) instruments will open the door to exploring the populations of companions of low-mass stars. The Palomar Radial Velocity Instrument (PARVI) will be optimized to detect RV signals of cool K and M stars with an instrument precision floor of 30 cm / s. PARVI will operate in the λ = 1.2- to 1.8-μm-wavelength range with a spectral resolution of λ / Δλ ∼ 100,000. It will operate on the Palomar 5.1-m Hale telescope and use Palomar’s PALM-3000 adaptive optics system, single-mode fibers, and an H-band laser frequency comb to probe and characterize the population of planets around cool, red stars. We describe the performance of the PARVI guide camera: a C-RED 2 from First Light Advanced Imagery. The C-RED 2 will be used in a tip-tilt loop, which requires fast readout at low noise levels to eliminate any residual guide errors and ensure the target starlight stays centered on the fiber. At −40 ° C and a frame rate of 400 frames per second in nondestructive read mode, the C-RED 2 has a combined dark and background current of 493 e − / s. Using up-the-ramp sampling, we are able to reduce the read noise to 21.2 e − . With the C-RED 2, PARVI will be able to guide using targets as faint as 14.6 H magnitude.
Highlights
The search for exoplanets has captivated astronomers since their discovery in the early 1990s.1,2 With the advent of Kepler, the number of confirmed exoplanets increased by orders of magnitude and transformed exoplanet studies
We describe a characterization of the C-RED 2 and discuss its expected performance as the Palomar Radial Velocity Instrument (PARVI) guide camera
We find that the C-RED 2 performs optimally at T 1⁄4 −40°C and 400 frames per second (FPS) with a dark current of 493 e−∕s
Summary
The search for exoplanets has captivated astronomers since their discovery in the early 1990s.1,2 With the advent of Kepler, the number of confirmed exoplanets increased by orders of magnitude and transformed exoplanet studies. To efficiently observe K and M dwarfs, one must go to the nearinfrared (NIR) where the bulk of their spectral information is.[10] An advantage of searching for low-mass exoplanet hosts is that it is easier to detect a radial velocity (RV) signal from low-mass stars due to low-mass planets. PARVI is an exercise in testing new technology and observing methods, such as using extreme AO in combination with SMFs, a fiber-fed spectrograph, and a LFC for wavelength calibrations.
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