Scientific Detectors for Imaging Science
An astronomical facility can be simplistically divided into two main parts: (1) a telescope that collects light and, (2) an instrument that measures the light. Perhaps the most important part of the instrument is the detector that senses the light. The performance of the telescope-instrument system is directly a function of the performance of the detector: an instrument with an outstanding detector on a 4-meter telescope can outperform an instrument with a poor detector on an 8-meter telescope. Thus, it is critical for every telescope to have the best detectors possible. This seminar will present a broad overview of the scientific detectors that are used at major astronomical observatories. The talk will concentrate on the types of detectors that are produced by Teledyne Imaging Sensors: CMOS-based imaging sensors that are used for detection of x-ray, ultraviolet, visible and infrared wavelengths. The content of this seminar is targeted toward those who are not detector specialists, but seek a basic understanding of the fundamental physics and architecture of optical and infrared detectors.
