Abstract
The Ground Wide Angle Camera Network (GWAC-N) is a network of robotic multi-aperture, multiple field-of-view (FoV) optical telescopes. The main contingent of GWAC-N instruments are provided by the Ground Wide Angle Cameras Array (GWAC-A), and additional, narrower FoV telescopes are utilized to provide fast multi-band follow-up capabilities. The primary scientific goal of the GWAC-N is to search for optical counterparts of gamma-ray bursts that will be detected by the Space Variable Object Monitor (SVOM) satellite. The GWAC-N performs many additional observing tasks including follow-up of Target of Opportunities (ToO) targets and the detection (and monitoring) of variable objects and optical transients. To handle these use cases (and to allow for extensibility), we have designed ten observation modes and 175 observation strategies, including a joint strategy with multiple GWAC-N telescopes for the follow-up of gravitational wave (GW) events. To perform these observations, we develop an Automatic Observation Management (AOM) system capable of performing object management, dynamic scheduling, automatic broadcasting across the network, and image handling. The AOM system combines the individual telescopes which comprise the GWAC-N into a network and smoothly organizes all associated operations, completely meeting the requirements dictated by GWAC-N. With its modular design, the AOM is scientifically and technically viable for other general-purpose telescope networks. As the GWAC-N extends and evolves, the AOM will greatly enhance its discovery potential. In this first paper of a series, we present the scientific goals of the GWAC-N and detail the hardware, software, and workflow developed to achieve these goals. The structure, technical design, implementation, and performance of the AOM system are also described in detail. We conclude with a summary of the current status of the GWAC-N and our near-future development plan.
Highlights
In the last decade, a new type of network emerged
The Ground Wide Angle Camera Network (GWAC-N) is an observation network composed of multi-aperture and multi-field of view robotic optical telescopes
The GWAC-N is currently composed of two GWAC telescopes, two GWAC-F60 telescopes and one GWAC-F30 telescope
Summary
A new type of network emerged. Thanks to the modern computing and communication technologies, these telescopes are designed to form a general-purpose observation network, such as Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT, Brown et al 2013), the Global Relay of Observatories Watching Transients Happen (GROWTH, Kasliwal et al 2019), the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN, Shappee et al 2014), the Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment (ROTSE, Akerlof et al 2003), the Pan-STARRS Survey (Chambers et al 2016), the Rapid Action Telescope for Transient Objects (TAROT, Boer et al 1999), and the Master-Net (Lipunov et al 2010). Several robotic, multi-band, small Field of View (FoV) telescopes are deployed for automatically validating and following up candidates detected by the GWAC-A Combining these wide FoV telescopes and fast-slewing, multi-band, small FoV telescopes in a well organized network can permits to obtain a better observational coverage and detection performances useful for multiple tasks such as, large-sample surveys, periodic and quasi-periodic objects, transient targets, moving objects.
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