proto-Lightspeed: a high-speed, ultra-low read noise imager on the Magellan Clay Telescope

TL;DR

proto-Lightspeed is a high-speed, ultra-low read noise optical imager on the Magellan Clay Telescope, enabling rapid imaging for studying fast astronomical phenomena with high sensitivity.

Contribution

It introduces a new high-speed, low-noise imaging instrument with flexible field of view and pixel scale, suitable for various time-critical astronomical observations.

Findings

Achieved up to 6600 Hz imaging rate for a 1.6''×1' field.

Delivered seeing-limited image quality in g', r', i' bands.

Demonstrated instrument performance in commissioning runs.

Abstract

proto-Lightspeed is a new instrument that has been commissioned on the Nasmyth East port of the Magellan Clay Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory to deliver high-speed optical imaging with deep sub-electron read noise. Making use of commercial re-imaging lenses and the ORCA-Quest 2 camera from Hamamatsu, proto-Lightspeed images a field $1'$ in diameter at up to $200$ Hz or windowed fields at higher rates, up to 6600 Hz for a $1.6''\times 1'$ field of view. proto-Lightspeed delivers seeing-limited image quality in the $g'$, $r'$, and $i'$ bands and adjustable magnification for pixel scales between $0.017''-0.050''$. proto-Lightspeed is well suited to studying compact binary systems, exoplanet transits, rapid flaring associated with accretion, periodic optical emission from pulsars, occultations of background stars by small trans-Neptunian Objects, and any other rapidly variable source. proto-Lightspeed will be a P.I. instrument beginning in 2026B, available for use by members of the Magellan Consortium. In this paper, we discuss the design and performance of the instrument, results from its two commissioning runs, and plans for a facility instrument, Lightspeed, to support simultaneous multicolor imaging across a $7'\times4'$ field.