Aqueye+: a new ultrafast single photon counter for optical high time resolution astrophysics

Abstract

Aqueye+ is a new ultrafast optical single photon counter, based on single photon avalanche photodiodes (SPAD) and a 4-fold split-pupil concept. It is a completely revisited version of its predecessor, Aqueye, successfully mounted at the 182 cm Copernicus telescope in Asiago. Here we will present the new technological features implemented on Aqueye+, namely a state of the art timing system, a dedicated and optimized optical train, a high sensitivity and high frame rate field camera and remote control, which will give Aqueye plus much superior performances with respect to its predecessor, unparalleled by any other existing fast photometer. The instrument will host also an optical vorticity module to achieve high performance astronomical coronography and a real time acquisition of atmospheric seeing unit. The present paper describes the instrument and its first performances.

Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 9504, id. 95040C 14 pp. (2015)

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Cited by in corpus (12)

• The lowest frequency Fast Radio Bursts: Sardinia Radio Telescope detection of the periodic FRB 180916 at 328 MHz
• Multiwavelength observations of Fast Radio Bursts
• Precise optical timing of PSR J1023+0038, the first millisecond pulsar detected with Aqueye+ in Asiago
• Investigating the origin of optical and X-ray pulsations of the transitional millisecond pulsar PSR J1023+0038
• Stellar intensity interferometry of Vega in photon counting mode
• Spin-down rate of the transitional millisecond pulsar PSR J1023+0038 in the optical band with Aqueye+
• Contemporaneous optical-radio observations of a fast radio burst in a close galaxy pair
• Deep upper limit on the optical emission during a hard X-ray burst from the magnetar SGR J1935+2154
• Lunar occultations with Aqueye+ and Iqueye
• Optical and X-ray timing analysis of the 2018-2020 outburst and rebrightening of the black-hole transient MAXI J1820+070
• One-week optical observations of pulsed emission from the Crab pulsar with IMONY on the 3.8 m Seimei telescope
• Low-dimensional platforms for single photon detection