First on-sky tests of the optical and near-infrared cameras for the upcoming eSiFAP fast photometer
The "eSiFAP" is a next-generation instrument for simultaneous optical and near-infrared (J and H bands) fast photometry, an enhanced version of SiFAP2, mounted at the Nasmyth A focus of the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG).
The "eSIFAP" objective is to carry out follow-up observations of CTAO (Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory) science targets, such as blazars. Other scientific topics will also include the study of periodic signals (e.g., pulsars, magnetars, and white dwarves) and transient events, such as Fast Radio Bursts, Gamma-ray Bursts, and possible electromagnetic counterpart of gravitational waves. With a special configuration, the “eSiFAP” will be also able to conduct fast optical linear polarimetric measurements together with near-infrared photometry, expanding its scientific capabilities.
On Friday, January 24th, 2025, the optical and near-infrared cameras for the upcoming eSiFAP fast photometer were mounted at the TNG Nasmyth A F/11 focus. On Wednesday, January 29th, 2025, the first on-sky tests with the cameras were successfully carried out by a team comprising Dr. Filippo Ambrosino, Dr. Giulia Illiano (INAF-OAR), and Dr. Massimo Cecconi (INAF-FGG). With its groundbreaking capabilities and innovative design, “eSiFAP” is poised to deepen our understanding of the most extreme and energetic events in the Universe.
eSIFAP is one of the deliverables foreseen by the project "Cherenkov Telescope Array Plus" (CTA+) – id code IR0000012, unique project code "C53C22000430006" – that has been approved in the context of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza, NRRP) for Strengthening the research infrastructure Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO). The CTA+ project is funded by the Europen union as part of the Next Generation EU (NGEU) program.
Figure 1. Optical and nIR cameras of the eSiFAP fast photometer mounted at the Nasmyth A F/11 focus of TNG. Light coming from M3 teelscope tertiary flat mirror is deviated to the VIS/nIR Dichroic.
Figure 2. People involved in the first test. From the left: F. Ambrosino, H. Stoev, M. Cecconi, G. Illiano, G. Mainella. Remotely in the laptop: INAF-OAR High Energy group.
Figure 3. Optical (350 - 1000 nm, on the left) and nIR (900 - 1700 nm, on the right) simultaneous images of Jupiter. Exposures were taken at 50 ms (optical) and 5 ms (nIR) cadence, respectively.