The Simons Observatory: Antenna control software integration and implementation

TL;DR

This paper discusses the integration and implementation of antenna control software for the Simons Observatory's telescopes, crucial for precise pointing, calibration, and mapping of the cosmic microwave background.

Contribution

It presents the current status and plans for integrating antenna control units within the observatory's control system, enhancing telescope operation and scientific data quality.

Findings

Successful factory responsiveness measurements of telescope platforms

Plans for in situ testing of antenna control systems

Prospects for deploying software on the large-aperture telescope

Abstract

The Simons Observatory (SO) is a ground-based cosmic microwave background survey experiment that consists of three 0.5 m small-aperture telescopes and one 6 m large-aperture telescope, sited at an elevation of 5200 m in the Atacama Desert in Chile. SO will study the polarization and temperature anisotropies of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). The observatory will require well-understood telescope pointing and scanning. Good antenna control will allow us to execute the scan strategy devised to optimize sensitivity to our scientific goals, calibrate the system with celestial targets, and make maps. To achieve this, we integrate the data acquisition and control of the telescopes' Antenna Control Units (ACUs) within the software framework of the SO Observatory Control System (OCS). We present here the current status of the software integration for the ACUs, as well as measurements of the Small Aperture Telescope platforms' responsiveness to software commanding in the factory, plans for in situ measurements, and prospects for implementation on the Large Aperture Telescope.