CONICACONICA

General overview

The High Resolution Near Infrared Camera CONICA is being developed in collaboration between the Max-Planck-Institute for Astronomy and the Max-Planck-Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics. It will be located at the Nasmyth focus of the third VLT telescope "Melipal" where it will do diffraction limited imaging, polarimetry and spectroscopy in the 1 to 5µm wavelength region. It will use the direct diffraction limited images provided by the VLT adaptive optics NAOS. The goal is to achieve this imaging and limited precision polarimetry with an instrument and software reduction and analysis package which is accessible to the general telescope user, also on a remote observing base, and which matches the highest performance expected to be achievable anywhere.

CONICA observational capabilities

Available Camera Systems

camera name Wavelength region [µm] scale [mas/pixel] Field of view [arcsec]
Cam06S 1.0 - 2.5 109.2 Ø 73
Cam06L 2.0 - 5.0 109.2 Ø 73
Cam12S 1.0 - 2.5 54.6 56 x 56
Cam12L 2.0 - 5.0 54.6 56 x 56
Cam25S 1.0 - 2.5 27.3 28 x 28
Cam25L 2.0 - 5.0 27.3 28 x 28
Cam50S 1.0 - 2.5 13.6 14 x 14

Broad band and narrow band filters

Filter position Filter name Central Wavelength [µm] FWHM [µm] comments
1/1 NB2.00 2.000 0.060 -
1/2 NB2.03 2.030 0.060 -
1/3 NB2.06 2.060 0.060 -
1/4 NB2.09 2.090 0.060 -
1/5 NB2.12 2.120 0.060 -
1/6 H2(1-0)S(1) 2.122 0.022 -
1/7 NB2.15 2.150 0.060 -
1/8 Brgamma 2.166 0.023 -
1/9 NB2.18 2.180 0.060 -
1/10 NB2.21 2.210 0.060 -
1/11 NB2.24 2.240 0.060 -
1/12 NB2.27 2.270 0.060 -
1/13 NB2.30 2.300 0.060 -
1/14 NB2.33 2.330 0.060 -
1/15 NB2.36 2.360 0.060 -
1/16 NB2.39 2.390 0.060 -
1/17 NB2.42 2.420 0.060 -
1/18 NB2.45 2.450 0.060 -
1/19 NB2.48 2.480 0.060 -
1/20 Bralpha 4.051 0.020 -
2/1 J 1.265 0.25 -
2/2 H 1.66 0.33 -
2/3 K 2.23 0.39 -
2/4 K' 2.18 0.35 -
2/5 L 3.50 0.61 -
2/6 L' 3.80 0.62 -
2/7 M' 4.78 0.59 -
2/8 S1 1.16 0.47 Spectroscopy
2/9 S2 1.63 0.43 Spectroscopy
2/10 S3 2.27 0.76 Spectroscopy
2/11 NB1.04 1.040 0.015 -
2/12 HeI 1.083 0.015 -
2/13 Pgamma 1.094 0.015 -
2/14 OII 1.237 0.015 -
2/15 FeII 1.257 0.014 -
2/16 Pß 1.282 0.014 -
2/17 FeII 1.644 0.018 -
2/18 H2(1-0)S(7) 1.748 0.026 -
2/19 Pfgamma 3.740 0.020 -
2/20 Pupil Image - - -

Spectroscopy

Grisms: order straight on
wavelength [µm]		 resolution wavelength
region [µm]
Grism 1 2. order 3.25 0349-0975 1.72-4.80
3. order 2.18 0349-0975 1.16-3.21
4. order 1.65 0349-0975 0.90-2.42
Grism 2 1. order 4.00 1496-2460 3.04-5.00
2. order 2.02 1496-2460 1.54-2.51
3. order 1.36 1496-2460 1.04-1.69
Grism 3 2. order 2.30 1544-2426 1.80-2.83
3. order 1.56 1544-2426 1.23-1.92
4. order 1.18 1544-2426 0.93-1.44
Grism 4 1. order 1.80 0416-1374 0.84-2.79
2. order 0.92 0416-1374 0.44-1.41

Polarimetry

Polarizer Separation (K) [arcsec] position angle [deg.]
Wollaston 2.0 0.0
Wollaston 2.0 45.0
Wire Grid - 00.0
Wire Grid - 45.0
Wire Grid - 90.0
Wire Grid - 135.0

Performance Limits
(Limiting Magnitudes (3 sigma), reachable in 1 h assuming a strehl ratio of 70% down to a wavelength of 2,0 µm)

band J (1.25) H (1.65) K (2.2) L (3.8) M (4.8)
lambda/D [mas] 33 43 57 99 125
scale [mas/px] 13.6 13.6 27.3 27.3 / 54.6 54.6
BB imaging 26.9 25.7 25.0 19.9 16.7
R = 50 25.2 24.3 23.3 18.5 15.6
R = 500 23.7 22.8 21.7 17.2 14.5
R = 1800 (FP) - - 19.7-18.8 - -

Technical description

VLT Observatory
[European Southern Observatory | VLT Observatory | CONICA at the VLT | other ]
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Responsible: Rainer Lenzen (lenzen@mpia-hd.mpg.de)
Last updated: 11. Jul. 2000