ProEM

ProEM is a 1024 x1024 frame-transfer camera with 13 μm pixels and optional electron multiplication readout, optimized for time series photometry. It is available at the Cassegrain focus of the 2.1m Otto Struve Telescope.  

ProEM features high quantum efficiency, external triggering from a Trimble GPS disciplined double-oven quartz oscillator, and optional electron-multiplication with high frame-rate.

The setup used most often is 4x4 binning for an effective pixel size of about 1/3 arcsecond. The plate scale of 7.2 arcsec/mm yields an image about 1.5 arcminutes on a side. Data are acquired using Princeton Instrument’s Lightfield software, and a separate program (“OLD MAID”) provides real-time aperture photometry analysis of the divided light curve and its Fourier transform.

The instrument characteristics can be summarized as:

Detector(s):
Princeton Instruments ProEM 1024B frame-transfer CCD

Wavelength coverage:
3,500–9,000 Å (QE > 75% 4000 – 8500Å, peak QE~95% @ 6500Å)

Filters:
An automated filter wheel is fitted with SDSS (ugri) and BG40 filters, and a manual filter wheel contains the Johnson/Bessel UBVRI set.

Throughput/sensitivity:
A XX msec exposure of a V=10 mag A0 star yields a signal-to-noise in V-band of : YY

Read-out:
Full frame readout time is ~10 msec unbinned, and ~5 msec binned.

Instrument paper

User Manuals: 
LightField (link to)
Old Maid (link to)

Instrument Contact