The ORCA ‐ TWIN qCMOS Experiment I. Science Case and Commissioning at Calar Alto Observatory
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT We describe a pilot study to explore a new generation of fast and low noise CMOS image sensors for time domain astronomy, using two remote telescopes with a baseline of 1635 km. The experiment involves direct imaging with novel qCMOS image sensor technology that combines fast readout with sub‐electron readout noise. Moreover, synchronized observations from two remote telescope sites will be used to explore new approaches for measuring Solar System bodies, precision stellar photometry, and speckle imaging. A fast‐track installation of an ORCA‐Quest 2 camera at the Calar Alto Observatory 1.23 m telescope has demonstrated the potential of the qCMOS technology for time domain astronomy. Numerical simulations suggest that owing to sub‐electron readout noise, qCMOS sensors outperform classical CCDs for high‐cadence imaging on 1 m‐class telescopes. The small penalty for post‐readout binning, that is almost insignificant in comparison to higher readout noise detectors, opens interesting applications for scene‐dependent data processing in direct imaging, and potentially even for spectroscopy.
Source: Astronomische Nachrichten
DOI: 10.1002/asna.70110
Authors: Martin M. Roth, Paško Roje, Stella Vješnica, Stefan Cikota, Alex J. Brown, Mike Kretlow, Marco Azzaro, Santiago Reinhart, Jesús Aceituno, Harry Dawson, Carsten Denker, Torsten Enßlin, Stephan Geier, Thomas Granzer, Thomas Kupfer, Gianluca Li Causi, Samaya Nissanke, José Luis Ortiz, Fernando Pedichini, Katja Poppenhäger, Axel Schwope
Institutions: University of Potsdam, Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam, Deutsches Zentrum für Astrophysik, University of Zagreb, Calar Alto Observatory, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing in Zagreb, Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Texas Tech University, Astronomical Observatory of Rome, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, National Institute for Astrophysics
Language: English
Topic: CCD and CMOS Imaging Sensors
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,810
Awards: G3276639945, G48481324
OpenAlex ID: W7171285230