Abstract

We present the science case, design overview and sensitivity estimate for the design study for the WIYN High Resolution Infrared Camera (WHIRC). The WIYN telescope is an active 3.5 m telescope located at an excellent seeing site on Kitt Peak and operated by University of Wisconsin, Indiana University, Yale University and National Optical Astronomical Observatory (NOAO). As a dedicated near-infrared (0.8-2.5 micron) camera on the WIYN Tip-Tilt Module (WTTM), WHIRC will provide near diffraction limited imaging, i.e. FWHM~0.25 typically and 0.12 on exceptional nights. The optical design goal is to use a 2048x2048 HgCdTe array with a plate scale of 0.09 per pixel, resulting in a field of view (FOV), 3'x3', which is a compromise between the highest angular resolution achievable and the largest FOV correctable by WTTM. WHIRC will be used for high definition near-infrared imaging studies such as star formation, proto-planetary disks, galactic dust enshrouded B clusters, dust enshrouded stellar populations in nearby galaxies, and supernova and gamma-ray burst searches.

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