A Golden Era for Astronomy: The Advent of CCDs and Infrared Arrays |
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Authors: | Ian S McLean |
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Institution: | (1) University of California, Los Angeles, U.S.A.;(2) Infrared Arrays, USA |
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Abstract: | The advent of solid-state imaging devices transformed astronomy. Beginning with the introduction into astronomy of charge-coupled
devices in 1976, followed a decade later by infrared arrays, astronomers gained access to near-perfect imaging devices. The
consequences have been nothing short of revolutionary, perhaps especially so in the infrared. Witness, for example, the spectacular
pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope cameras, or the impressive infrared imagery from the 2MASS project. Within the last
decade CCD formats deployed or planned for use in ground-based cameras have become huge. Infrared mosaics, stimulated by the
Next Generation Space Telescope, are coming soon. In addition, new technologies such as CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductors)
and STJs (Superconductiong Tunnel Junctions) are being developed and the future of astronomical detectors looks very exciting,
especially in an era of giant telescopes performing at their diffraction-limit.
This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. |
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Keywords: | Charge-Coupled Devices (CCDs) infrared arrays |
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