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SCUBA-2 : the 10 000 pixel bolometer camera on the James Clerk Maxwell telescope

Holland, W.S.; Bintley, D.; Chapin, E.L.; Chrysostomou, A.; Davis, G.R.; Dempsey, J.T.; Duncan, W.D.; Fich, M.; Friberg, P.; Halpern, M.; Irwin, K.D.; Jenness, T.; Kelly, B.D.; MacIntosh, M.J.; Robson, E.I.; Scott, D.; Ade, P.A.R.; Atad-Ettedgui, E.; Berry, D.S.; Craig, S.C.; Gao, X.; Gibb, A.G.; Hilton, G.C.; Hollister, M.I.; Kycia, J.B.; Lunney, D.W.; McGregor, H.; Montgomery, D.; Parkes, W.; Tilanus, R.P.J.; Ullom, J.N.; Walther, C.A.; Walton, A.J.; Woodcraft, A.L.; Amiri, M.; Atkinson, D.; Burger, B.; Chuter, T.; Coulson, I.M.; Doriese, W.B.; Dunare, C.; Economou, F.; Niemack, M.D.; Parsons, H.A.L.; Reintsema, C.D.; Sibthorpe, B.; Smail, I.; Sudiwala, R.; Thomas, H.S.

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Authors

W.S. Holland

D. Bintley

E.L. Chapin

A. Chrysostomou

G.R. Davis

J.T. Dempsey

W.D. Duncan

M. Fich

P. Friberg

M. Halpern

K.D. Irwin

T. Jenness

B.D. Kelly

M.J. MacIntosh

E.I. Robson

D. Scott

P.A.R. Ade

E. Atad-Ettedgui

D.S. Berry

S.C. Craig

X. Gao

A.G. Gibb

G.C. Hilton

M.I. Hollister

J.B. Kycia

D.W. Lunney

H. McGregor

D. Montgomery

W. Parkes

R.P.J. Tilanus

J.N. Ullom

C.A. Walther

A.J. Walton

A.L. Woodcraft

M. Amiri

D. Atkinson

B. Burger

T. Chuter

I.M. Coulson

W.B. Doriese

C. Dunare

F. Economou

M.D. Niemack

H.A.L. Parsons

C.D. Reintsema

B. Sibthorpe

R. Sudiwala

H.S. Thomas



Abstract

Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array 2 (SCUBA-2) is an innovative 10 000 pixel bolometer camera operating at submillimetre wavelengths on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT). The camera has the capability to carry out wide-field surveys to unprecedented depths, addressing key questions relating to the origins of galaxies, stars and planets. With two imaging arrays working simultaneously in the atmospheric windows at 450 and 850 μm, the vast increase in pixel count means that SCUBA-2 maps the sky 100-150 times faster than the previous SCUBA instrument. In this paper, we present an overview of the instrument, discuss the physical characteristics of the superconducting detector arrays, outline the observing modes and data acquisition, and present the early performance figures on the telescope. We also showcase the capabilities of the instrument via some early examples of the science SCUBA-2 that have already been undertaken. In 2012 February, SCUBA-2 began a series of unique legacy surveys for the JCMT community. These surveys will take 2.5 yr and the results are already providing complementary data to the shorter wavelength, shallower, larger area surveys from Herschel. The SCUBA-2 surveys will also provide a wealth of information for further study with new facilities such as ALMA, and future telescopes such as CCAT and SPICA.

Citation

Holland, W., Bintley, D., Chapin, E., Chrysostomou, A., Davis, G., Dempsey, J., …Thomas, H. (2013). SCUBA-2 : the 10 000 pixel bolometer camera on the James Clerk Maxwell telescope. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 430(4), 2513-2533. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/sts612

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Apr 1, 2013
Deposit Date May 10, 2013
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Print ISSN 0035-8711
Electronic ISSN 1365-2966
Publisher Royal Astronomical Society
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 430
Issue 4
Pages 2513-2533
DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/sts612
Keywords Instrumentation, Detectors, Submillimetre.

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Copyright Statement
This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society © 2013 The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.





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