Related papers: Seeing-limited imaging sky surveys -- small vs. la…
The next generation of massively multiplexed multi-object spectrographs (DESpec, SUMIRE, BigBOSS, 4MOST, HECTOR) demand fast, efficient and affordable spectrographs, with higher resolutions (R = 3000-5000) than current designs. Beam-size is…
The large surveys and sensitive instruments of modern astronomy are turning ever more examples of variable objects, many of which are extending the parameter space to testing theories of stellar evolution and accretion. Future projects such…
This project presents the development and implementation of a compact spectrometer, named SPECTRUMMATE, tailored for small telescopes. Small telescopes offer several advantages: they are cost-effective, occupy less space, and are simpler to…
We present statistics on the research productivity of astronomical telescopes. These were compiled by finding papers in which new data were presented, noting which telescopes were used, and then counting the number of papers, number of…
While atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes have a small field of view and a small duty fraction, arrays of particle detectors on ground have a 1\,sr field of view and a 100% duty fraction. On the other hand, particle detector arrays have a much…
Many synoptic surveys are observing large parts of the sky multiple times. The resulting lightcurves provide a wonderful window to the dynamic nature of the universe. However, there are many significant challenges in analyzing these light…
It has become common to call this the "era of precision cosmology," and hence one rarely hears about the finiteness of the amount of information that is available for constraining cosmological parameters. Under the assumption that the…
Instruments for radio astronomical observations have come a long way. While the first telescopes were based on very large dishes and 2-antenna interferometers, current instruments consist of dozens of steerable dishes, whereas future…
The National Academy Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science (CAPS) made a recommendation to study a large/medium-class dedicated space telescope for planetary science, going beyond the Discovery-class dedicated planetary space…
Space debris is a major threat to the satellite infrastructure. A collision with even small particle, e.g. 1 cm of size, can cause a catastrophic event when the parent body, spacecraft or upper stage, will break up into hundreds of…
Telescope arrays allow high-performance wide-field imaging systems to be built more quickly and at lower cost than conventional telescopes. Distributed aperture telescopes (the premier example of which is the Dragonfly Telephoto Array) are…
Recently three-dimensional (3D) imaging achieves tremendous success in consumer and industrial manufacturing. However, current 3D imaging methods rarely observe dynamical events happening in a short time interval due to the imaging speed…
Interferometry is a powerful technique for making sensitive, high-fidelity images of the sky, but is limited in its ability to measure extended or diffuse emission. Better images of extended astronomical objects can be obtained by…
Intelligent scheduling of the sequence of scientific exposures taken at ground-based astronomical observatories is massively challenging. Observing time is over-subscribed and atmospheric conditions are constantly changing. We propose to…
We propose a sociohistorical framework for better understanding the evolution in the use of telescopes. We define two regimes of use : a general-purpose (or survey) one, where the telescope governs research, and a dedicated one, in which…
Spectrograph costs have become the limiting factor in multiplexed fiber-based spectroscopic instruments, because tens of millions of resolution elements (spectral x spatial) are now required. Catadioptric (Schmidt-like) designs allow faster…
In microlensing of a Galactic star by a brown dwarf or other compact object, the amplified image really consists of two unresolved images with slightly different light-travel times. The difference (of order a microsecond) is GM/c^3 times a…
Cosmic variance from large-scale structure will be a major source of uncertainty for galaxy surveys at z > 6, but that same structure will also provide an opportunity to identify and study dense environments in the early Universe. Using a…
Strong lensing time delay cosmography has excellent complementarity with other dark energy probes, and will soon have abundant systems detected. We investigate two issues in the imaging and spectroscopic followup required to obtain the time…
(abridged) The Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST) project aims to build a 50-m-class submm telescope with $>1^\circ$ field of view, high in the Atacama Desert, providing fast and detailed mapping of the mm/submm sky. It…