| Logo | Organisation Name | Short Name/URL | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| |
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias | IAC | Spain |
| |
Instituto Nazionale Di Astrofisica | INAF | Italy |
| |
Universita Degli Studi Di Roma Torvergata | UNITOV | Italy |
| |
Max Planck Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Wissenschaften E.V | MPG | Germany |
| |
Stockholms Universitet | SU | Sweden |
| |
The Queen's University of Belfast | QUB | United Kingdom |
| |
University College London | UCL | United Kingdom |
| |
Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas | CSIC | Spain |
| |
Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche | CNR | Italy |
| |
Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial "Esteban Terradas" | INTA | Spain |
| |
A.D.S. International SRL | ADS | Italy |
| |
Arcoptix SA | Arcoptix | Switzerland |
| |
Andor Technology limited | Andor | United Kingdom |
Dr. Manuel Collados Vera
GREST Coordinator
INSTITUTO DE ASTROFÍSICA DE CANARIAS
Email: est-east@iac.es
| Deliverable | Deliverable Title | Lead Beneficiary | Type | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1.6 | GREST website | IAC | Websites, patents public filling, etc. | D1.6: GREST website |
| D1.7 | On-line documents, dissemination reports and publications | IAC | Report | D1.7: On-line documents, dissemination reports and publications |
| Deliverable | Deliverable Title | Lead Beneficiary | Type | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D2.6 | DEPFET numerical performance simulation | MPG | Report | D2.6: DEPFET numerical performance simulation |
| D2.7 | Electrical pre-characterization of prototype sensors | MPG | Report | D2.7: Electrical pre-characterization of prototype sensors |
| D2.12 | Test report on the rolling shutter mode and related polarimetric modulation schemes and performances | INAF | Report | D2.12: Test report on the rolling shutter mode and related polarimetric modulation schemes and performances |
| D2.13 | Test related to the polarimetric noise behaviour of the camera | INAF | Report | D2.13: Test related to the polarimetric noise behaviour of the camera |
| Deliverable | Deliverable Title | Lead Beneficiary | Type | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D3.8 | Spectral test | UNITOV | Report | D3.8: Spectral test |
| Deliverable | Deliverable Title | Lead Beneficiary | Type | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D4.5 | Multi-slit IFU final opto-mechanical design | IAC | Demonstrator | D4.5: Multi-slit IFU final opto-mechanical design |
| D4.6 | Multi-slit IFU: Evaluation of fabrication costs | IAC | Report | D4.6: Multi-slit IFU: Evaluation of fabrication costs |
| D4.7 | Microlens-fed spectrograph: modelling study | MPG | Report | D4.7: Microlens-fed spectrograph: modelling study |
| D4.9 | Microlens-fed spectrograph: prototype design | MPG | Other | D4.9: Microlens-fed spectrograph: prototype design |
EST European Solar Telescope is a 4-meter class solar telescope, to be located in the Canary Islands. It will be optimised for studies of the magnetic coupling between the deep photosphere and upper chromosphere. This will require diagnostics of the thermal, dynamic and magnetic properties of the plasma over many scale heights, by using multiple wavelength imaging, spectroscopy and spectropolarimetry. To achieve these goals, EST will specialize in high spatial and temporal resolution using instruments that can efficiently produce two-dimensional spectral information.
Check more information at: http://www.est-east.eu/
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Some of the contents of GREST can be found at EST website:
The block diagram shows all workpackages and sub-workpackages, with their interdependences and leading institutions:
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The following table sumarizes the information of the work packages:
| WPx | Description | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| WP1 | Project Coordination | IAC |
| sWP1.1 | Project Coordination & Management | IAC |
| sWP1.2 | Dissemination & Exploitation of results | IAC |
| WP2 | Large-format high-speed low-noise detectors | MPG |
| sWP2.1 | Imaging large-format camera | QUB UCL-MSSL ANDOR |
| sWP2.2 | High-precision polarimetric camera | MPG |
| sWP2.3 | Large format wavefront sensing camera | INAF |
| WP3 | Capacitance-Stabilised Fabry-Perot | UNITOV SU CNR ACS |
| WP4 | New techniques for 2D solar spectro-polarimetry | IAC |
| sWP4.1 | Multi-slit integral field unit design | IAC |
| sWP4.2 | Spectro-polarimetry using a microlens-fed spectrograph | MPG |
| WP5 | Large format liquid-crystal modulators | CSIC IAC MPG INTA ARCOPTIX |
| WP6 | Deformable mirrors and the EST-MCAO performance | INAF IAC UNITOV SU |
| WP7 | Strategic work. Industrial, financial and legal issues | IAC |
| Work package number | WP1 | Lead beneficiary | 1 - IAC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work package title | Project Coordination, management and dissemination | ||
| Start month | 1 | End month | 36 |
WP1 - Project Coordination, management and dissemination [Months: 1-36] (IAC)
The organisational structure and procedures to guarantee the most appropriate and high-standard project management and coordination, as well as the main roles and responsibilities of all beneficiaries.
The Coordinator and the Manager will ensure management support towards a global and coordinated achievement of the GREST objectives, through the different work-packages deployed under this project. This includes the overall coordination and continuous monitoring of the work plan, the organisation of meetings for the governing and advisory bodies (Board and General Assembly), as well as the preparation of other general meetings (annual meetings and Midterm Review), financial management of the budget, communication with the European Commission on administrative and technical aspects of the project, reporting, etc.
The coordinator, who will be assisted by the Project Manager, will ensure the overview of activities encompassing simultaneously several Work Packages. The responsibilities will also comprise the administrative, financial and contractual follow-up of the project, according to the EC Annotated Grant Agreement and its annexes. This work will cover the preparation of the periodic and final activity reports and the reviewing of the Deliverable and Milestone reports. The financial follow-up will consist of distribution and payments of the EU funding, resource utilisation control, internal cost reporting and collection, review and submission of Certificates on Financial Statements.
As coordinator, the IAC will take the responsibility to provide useful Information Technology tools in order to ensure the effective management of the project and excellent communication among partners and work-packages.
Specific tasks: Fulfilment of EC Grant Agreement; interaction with Governing bodies; coordination and monitoring of the whole project; financial management; internal communication of the consortium Actions on dissemination and exploitation of results will be also carried out under this WP.
While dissemination activities will be based on the implementation of a Dissemination and Communication Plan, the exploitation of results will be achieved through mobilizing the best expertise, in particular researchers involved in the evaluation of the scientific potential of the tested key enabling technologies and engineers involved in the design of prototypes.
Specific tasks: project website; promotional material, participation in relevant events and relevant EU mass media, to
increase awareness on Solar Physics.
| Work package number | WP2 | Lead beneficiary | 4 - MPG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work package title | Large-format high-speed low-noise detectors | ||
| Start month | 1 | End month | 36 |
WP2 - Large-format high-speed low-noise detectors [Months: 1-36] (MPG, IAC, INAF, QUB, UCL, ANDOR TECHNOLOGY PLC)
WP2 is divided into the three sub-WPs according to the different purpose cameras that are proposed for development, study, and testing:
The sub-WPs are distributed among the different partners according to their expertise. IAC will have a close contact with all of the partners involved to ensure the contact with the EST project, to make sure that the sub-WPs are made in accordance to the EST requirement and to coordinate the impact the results may have on the EST design.
The development the large-format back-side illuminated (BSI) prototype will be based on the scientific Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (sCMOS) technology. We will work with a sensor design house that has the capability to provide a fully depleted high quantum efficiency (QE) sCMOS sensor that will match closely current CCD QE and Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) for an equivalent thickness. In order to keep the costs to a minimum, we work on the adaptation of a pre-existing format and apply suitable modifications so that it meets the required specifications.
The main tasks that will be undertaken for the development of the BSI sensor can be summarized as follows:
tip. *You can check the descriptive brochure at the bottom of this page.
The Zurich Imaging Polarimeter (ZIMPOL, e.g. Gandorfer et al. 2004), is so far the only available charge-caching polarimeter. It is based on charge-shifting between open and covered CCD columns and has a proven photon-limited polarimetric accuracy of order 10-5. However, this CCD technology from the 1990s can by far not fulfill the requirements in terms of spatial resolution, FOV and time cadence, and thus an investment in new technology is clearly needed. We propose to explore the novel DEPFET charge-caching technology in terms of a feasibility study, which will lay the foundation of a potential next-generation science-ready camera for high precision spectro-polarimetry.
The study will be limited to the investigation of a small test sensor of about 32 x 32 superpixels, which will allow testing the practicality of the concept for high-precision polarimetry in the lab. Based on the existing prototype design study, different layout variants will be generated and verified. Based on simulation results, the most promising layout variants will be used to produce the prototype sensor. The produced sensors will then be functionally verified, and the best variants will be tested with respect to their application in high-precision polarimetry.
The outcome of the study will be a solid feasibility statement including:
This sub-WP consists of the study and testing for the purpose of potential application in EST of the sCMOS technology currently under development and testing at the ESO for the wavefront sensing system of the night-time E-ELT, specifically the massively parallel sCMOS camera such as the NGSD (Natural Guide Star Detector), a 880x840 pixels, large field-of-view, high QE (>90%), low read out noise (< 3 e-), and very fast frame rate sensor.
sub-WP 2.3 includes the following activities:
At the footer of this page you can find next documentation of this workpackage:
| Work package number | WP3 | Lead beneficiary | 3 - UNITOV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work package title | Capacitance-Stabilised Fabry-Perot Development | ||
| Start month | 1 | End month | 36 |
Design and realization of a customised Capacitance-Stabilised control system for future 200 mm diameter FPI. The main goal is to build a 50 mm FPI prototype engineering prototype to be tested in laboratory by interferometry to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed optomechanical design and new cavity controller.
WP3 - Capacitance-Stabilised Fabry-Perot Development [Months: 1-36] (UNITOV, IAC, SU, CNR, ADS)
WP3 is focussed on the development of a 50 mm CSE prototype to validate the opto-mechanical design of the etalon and to test the capability of the digital electronic controller to be developed in this project. Accurate etalons are required for large solar telescopes to ensure the nanometric accuracy of the parallelism of the plates that form the interferometer and make the spectral transmission profile as close to the theoretical curve as possible. The variation of the distance between the plates must also be subject to repeatability with a high-degree of precision to make long observing runs possible.
This WP is divided into four tasks to account for the design, manufacturing, assembly, integration and test of the protype.
The main activities that will be undertaken in this task are related to the design of the mount and control system of the etalon
With this task, the mechanical parts of the prototype will be built following the design obtained in task 3.1.
This task will be devoted to the integration of the different parts following the steps below
Finally, the CSE prototype will be tested at the lab.
| Work package number | WP4 | Lead beneficiary | 1 - IAC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work package title | New techniques for 2D solar spectro-polarimetry | ||
| Start month | 1 | End month | 36 |
WP4 - New techniques for 2D solar spectro-polarimetry [Months: 1-36] (IAC, MPG)
Long-slit spectrographs suffer from the drawback that spatial scanning perpendicular to the slit orientation is required to measure all the points of a 2D FoV. As spatial resolution increases, the steps are smaller and the time required for the scan gets larger, which reduces the possibility to study the connectivity and relation between nearby points in the direction perpendicular to the slit. Thus, highresolution observations with a spectrograph demand alternative configurations of these instruments.
Under this project, two possibilities will be studied, one based on image slicers and the other on the use of microlenses to separate all points of the 2D FoV, divided in two natural sWPs, distributed between the partners according to their expertise. This is the natural division given that the first steps of these tasks are presently in progress under SOLARNET: Single-slit IFU (IAC) and microlens-fed spectrograph (MPG).
During the last years, image slicers have been incorporated to advanced night-time instruments as a new technology applied to Astronomy to achieve integral field spectroscopy. Image slicers are composed by a number of reflecting elements that cut a two dimensional field of view and reorganize it as a long slit to feed a standard spectrograph. This allows the simultaneous observation of different points of the field of view to give a data cube where the spectrum of each element is obtained. A design of an eight-slit integral field unit (MuSICa) has been proposed as a future state-of-the-art instrument for EST (Calcines et al, 2013). A single-slit unit prototype is presently under development in the framework of SOLARNET as a first demonstrator that this technology can be applied to high resolution solar observations. An intermediate step with the design of an image slicer that produces three or four output slits will be addressed in this project. The feasibility demonstration of this option, minimising aberrations and following the experience obtained with the construction of the single-slit IFU, will represent a big step for the application of this technique to the eight-slit proposal for EST.
The feasibility of a microlens-fed spectrograph has already been demonstrated ¡. The microlens concept needs, however, to be adapted and optimized for polarimetric measurements. At present, static polarimeters typically employ only 2 beams, the so-called dual beam polarimeter setup. This configuration is very effective at suppressing the crosstalk from Stokes I to the other Stokes parameters, but does not suppress the crosstalk from any of the other Stokes parameters to each other. Static modulation can be accomplished in a different way from that in a typical polarimeter in a microlens based imaging spectrograph, because the individual image pixels are accessible after the image has been sampled. One therefore does not need to care about introducing static aberrations in the beam, sub-pixel alignment, etc., problems that usually limit the crosstalk suppression of a traditional multi-beam polarimeter. In this case, however, strict co-spatiality is guaranteed by construction, although the spectral and polarimetric properties after the splitting are not perfectly identical and need to be well calibrated and stable over time. In this task, it is proposed to split the individual pixels of a microlens imaging spectrograph at the pixel level, and modulate each of the sub-pixels differently, in order to suppress seeing induced cross-talk from the Earth's atmosphere, as well as changes induced by the time evolution of the solar atmosphere.
At the footer of this page you can find next documentation of this workpackage:
| Work package number | WP5 | Lead beneficiary | 8 - CSIC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work package title | Large format liquid-crystal modulators | ||
| Start month | 1 | End month | 36 |
WP5 - Large format liquid-crystal modulators [Months: 1-36] (CSIC, IAC, MPG, INTA, ARCOPTIX SA)
Fabrication and testing of large format LCVRs:
The advantages of employing these devices are many. Their easy driving with low-voltage electric signals avoids the use of traditional rotating waveplates (using motors), hence enabling stable optical paths with low power consumption and no mechanical noise in the systems. They also have quick response times that are very useful for fast modulation of the polarization state of light. Their low weight makes them ideal for space applications as well. In addition, very good polarimetric efficiencies can be achieved with LCVR-based polarimeters. The tasks to be undertaken in this WP are:
At the footer of this page you can find next documentation of this workpackage:
| Work package number | WP6 | Lead beneficiary | 2 - INAF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work package title | Deformable mirrors and the EST-MCAO performance | ||
| Start month | 1 | End month | 36 |
WP6 - Deformable mirrors and the EST-MCAO performance [Months: 1-36] (INAF, IAC, UNITOV, SU)
In order to achieve its objectives, WP6 will carry out numerical simulations, software development, and laboratory tests.
WP6 will study the effects of large tilt angle DMs with an elliptic pupil in the EST/MCAO performances by carrying out end-to-end numerical simulations of the system with software available to the project partners. The numerical simulations will make it possible the evaluation of the main error sources of the EST/DMs configuration. In addition, they will also provide a first evaluation of the tolerances of the system. More in depth, WP6 plans to estimate the tolerances to small misalignment errors in the orientation of the DM pupil with respect the WFS pattern in order
to identify the required alignment accuracy that maximises the system performances. Starting from the end-to-end simulations and their results, new numerical control methods will be developed to take into account for misalignment errors and the pupil elongation. Secondly, because of the 45-degree inclination of the DMs in the system, the conjugation height of the mirror depends on the position on the mirror itself. For this reason, a proper wavefront reconstruction scheme able to limit the unwanted effects of this will be studied and tested.
The end-to-end simulation code will be developed in IDL language by using the well-tested and freely available Optical Propagation library, which allows the easy integration of external codes into the same simulation environment. The main advantage of using an end-to-end simulation code is the ability of simulating non-linear effects which may play a significant role in the overall system performances. In addition, the well tested Zemax software and the CAOS code available to the partners will be also used to study the case of 45-degree inclined DMs of the EST/MCAO. These software tools have been already successfully employed by the partners in the study of the adaptive optics of the night-time Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) when used in conjunction with the forthcoming SHARK (System for coronagraphy with
High order Adaptive optics from R to K band for high contrast imaging and exoplanets search. The main advantage of using a combination of different codes is the resulting flexibility, which allows the simulation of different optical components in detail.
Within the simulation environment, the numerical methods (the DM control scheme) will be refined before being exported and applied to the control of a DM already available for the laboratory tests in closed loop conditions. This activity will imply the development of a custom control software DM interface, which will be realised using the Labview language. Different numerical control schemes will then be tested in the laboratory to evaluate their performances. More in detail, both a modal and zonal control schemes will be tested in 45-degree inclined DMs. The results of these studies will be of paramount importance for the refinement of the MCAO system of EST and will eventually provide important information for the realization of custom DMs with a distribution of actuators that properly samples the wavefront.
WP6 will include the following tasks:
| Work package number | WP7 | Lead beneficiary | 1 - IAC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work package title | Strategic work. Industrial, financial and legal issues | ||
| Start month | 1 | End month | 36 |
WP7 - Strategic work. Industrial, financial and legal issues [Months: 1-36] (IAC)
The IAC will lead this multidisciplinary work package, but all partners will be involved to provide key inputs or to act as national contact point for gathering relevant information. The specific task to be executed are:
It is essential that the expected provision of resources provided by EST (instruments, observing time, services) will match (in both qualitative and quantitative terms) the size of the European solar physics community. In addition, it is a big value to policymakers as they seek to develop balanced and coherent research portfolios. Under this task we will carry out a census of active researchers (PhD students, post-docs and senior researchers) in the field of solar physics, including statistical information about expertise, international collaborations, involved research institutions, gender, etc.). To that aim, the national astronomy societies of all countries will be contacted. The continuous contact of the IAC with many researchers and research centres as a result of its management of the Canarian observatories, hosting the most advanced solar telescopes, of the coordination of the EST-DS and SOLARNET projects and its active participation in the EAST association ensures the feasibility of this task.
Innovations of technological and industrial interest from a telescope of this kind, include, during the construction phase, the production of the mirrors, actuators and sensors, large mechanical structures, adaptive optics and postfocal instruments, active support systems and high precision large mass pointing and guiding mechanisms. The critical technologies for the telescope’s instruments will include precision mechanics, highly dimensionally stable materials, mechanical integration and thermal regulation and multi-conjugate optics. This task will provide a list of all the companies in Europe hosting the expertise and/or innovation capacity to actively participate in EST construction. A
matrix correlation between the degree of specialization required for an identified technology, expected business size and estimated expertise occupied by each identified company will be reported.
The technologies needed to build EST will largely be developed during the telescope’s construction phase and will come from across the whole of Europe. It is hoped that the construction of the telescope will create new applications for technology and creation of highly skilled jobs and related industry. EST, viewed worldwide as one of the most important projects for ground-based solar physics, is a highly
technological project. It will give rise to many new technologies with potential applications for industry and will provide opportunities for companies to work on contracts with unprecedented technological challenges. We will carried out an exhaustive analysis of such industrial opportunities an its expected impacts in related sectors.
The 2011 estimate for the cost of building EST was approximately € 135 million. This included the costs of civil works, optics, mechanics, control systems, the dome, etc. and allows for a construction period of 6 years. The budget also included development of the main instruments that will operate during the life of the telescope, a reasonable allowance for contingencies and assembly and testing costs during the last year of construction. Subsequent progress already carried out in several aspects of the telescope, including the proposed analysis of the technologies for its instruments require now to deliver un updated estimate for the EST construction and operation budget.
The consortium unanimously agrees that the appropriate legal framework for EST must be formalised before any kind of initial investment is made for its construction. This step will assure effective governance, resource management and optimal operation for EST. Most relevant legal bodies will be discussed, compared, and classified according EST particular circumstances. Likewise we will analyse the feasibility of cash versus in-kind contributions to discern the most likely financial model for EST.
At the footer of this page you can find next documentation of this workpackage: