India's first robotic eye for time domain astrophysics: the GROWTH-India telescope

TL;DR

The GROWTH-India telescope is a pioneering 0.7 m robotic instrument designed for time-domain astrophysics, enabling rapid observations and transient searches with high efficiency and sensitivity.

Contribution

This paper introduces the first robotic telescope in India dedicated to time-domain astronomy, detailing its design, capabilities, and initial scientific contributions.

Findings

Achieved high on-sky observing efficiency (>80%)

Demonstrated rapid response to transient events

Contributed to studies of gamma-ray bursts and gravitational wave counterparts

Abstract

We present the design and performance of the GROWTH-India telescope, a 0.7 m robotic telescope dedicated to time-domain astronomy. The telescope is equipped with a 4k back-illuminated camera giving a 0.82-degree field of view and sensitivity of m_g ~20.5 in 5-min exposures. Custom software handles observatory operations: attaining high on-sky observing efficiencies (>~ 80%) and allowing rapid response to targets of opportunity. The data processing pipelines are capable of performing PSF photometry as well as image subtraction for transient searches. We also present an overview of the GROWTH-India telescope's contributions to the studies of Gamma-ray Bursts, the electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave sources, supernovae, novae and solar system objects.