ISO detector workshop

(Jan 14-16, 1998, ESAC, Madrid, Spain)

With the life of ESA's Infrared Space Observatory nearing its end, we propose to bring together infrared detector experts from within ISO's community, from other IR space projects (IRAS, COBE,IRTS, MSX, WIRE, SIRTF, IRIS, FIRST) and experts from relevant fields in solid state physics, to review the current status of ISO's detectors and the prospects of eliminating unwanted effects.

The meeting will be held at the ISO ground station in the ESA center Vilspa, near Madrid, on 14, 15 and 16 january 1998.

The prime objectives of this workshop are:

  • To construct a detailed overview of the behaviour and performance of ISO's detectors
  • To investigate if extra detector characterisation measurements with ISO are needed, before the end of the mission,
  • To review methods and algorithms on detector glitch detection and removal,
  • To present and discuss methods for empirical and theoretical modelling of detector transients in order to improve the photometric calibration quality.

    In addition the ISO experience could be very valuable for future IR missions.

    With the many different detector types and read-out technologies used in the four ISO instruments a large variety of effects of the space environment have been observed. Although complicating the overall picture, this variety may give us the broad and complementary information needed to understand the observed phenomenae.

    The performance and behaviour of the detectors have been different than anticipated from laboratory tests, and the measured particle environment deviated from the predictions. It is therefore also the intention to have experts in this field attend as well.

    The following tentative agenda is proposed:

  • Introduction
  • Introduction of the ISO instruments with emphasis on the detector and readout technology used
  • Presenting overviews by the four ISO instrument teams, of the following phenomenae, from the pre-launch and in-orbit measurements with the trends (revolution number and within a revolution)
  • Presentation of the ISO radiation environment
  • Spike and noise correlation between the ISO instruments
  • Experience from other missions: IRAS, COBE, MSX, IRTS
  • Predictions for the particle environment, and behaviour and performance of detectors of future missions (including results from designs for radiation hardening and ground irradiation experiments): WIRE, SIRTF, IRIS, FIRST, NGST, DARWIN....
  • Glitch detection and removal:
  • Transient effects:
  • Workshop Summary and Recommendations

    The proposed format for the meeting is to have one and a half day of presentations, a day of splinter meetings followed by presentations of the summaries,conclusions and recommendations.

    It is the intention to have copies of all vugraphs distributed to the workshop participants within a week after the workshop. The proceedings of the workshop will be published in a special issue of Experimental Astronomy, a refereed journal.

    The Scientific Organising Committee consists of: C. Cesarsky (CEA, Saclay), P.E.Clegg (QMW, London), Th. de Graauw (SRON, Groningen) Co-chair, M. Kessler (ESA, Vilspa) Co-chair, D.Lemke (MPIA,Heidelberg) and E. Young (U-Arizona, Tucson)

    For attendance and abstracts: send an e-mail to the chairmen to isodetec@iso.vilspa.esa.es ; before november 15, 1997!!

    We recommend to make your own hotel reservation in hotel Florida Norte from where we will have a bus leave to Vilspa during the workshop days. Info Florida Norte:

    P. de la Florida 5,
    28008 Madrid
    Tel. 34 1 542 8300; fax 34 1 547 7833

    For assistance, if needed, call Mrs A. Willis at Vilspa tel 34 1 8131 254