The ORCA-TWIN qCMOS Project I. Commissioning at Calar Alto Observatory

TL;DR

This paper presents a pilot study demonstrating that qCMOS sensors outperform traditional CCDs for high-cadence, low-noise astronomical imaging, using synchronized observations from two remote telescopes to explore new measurement techniques.

Contribution

It introduces the application of novel qCMOS image sensors in time domain astronomy, showcasing their advantages over classical CCDs in high-speed, low-noise imaging scenarios.

Findings

qCMOS sensors outperform CCDs in high-cadence imaging

qCMOS technology is effective for time domain astronomy

EMCCDs remain competitive for very short exposures

Abstract

Aims. 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 1800 km. Methods. Direct imaging with novel qCMOS image sensor technology that combines fast readout with low readout noise. 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. Results. A fast-track installation of an ORCA-Quest 2 camera at the Calar Alto Observatory (CAHA) 1.23m telescope has demonstrated the potential of the qCMOS technology for time domain astronomy. Conclusions. qCMOS technology generally outperforms classical CCDs for high-cadence imaging on 1-m telescopes, although EMCCDs remain competitive, and in some cases slightly superior, for very short exposures and faint sources.