Computer generated holograms (CGHs) are powerful optical elements used in many fields, such as wavefront shaping, quality testing of complex optics, and anti-counterfeiting devices. The Lee algorithm ...is the most used to generate binary amplitude Fourier holograms. Grayscale CGHs are known to give a higher reconstruction quality than binary holograms, but they usually require a cumbersome production process. A very simple and straightforward method of manufacturing rewritable grayscale CGHs is proposed here by taking advantage of two key components: a digital micro-mirror device (DMDs) and a photochromic plate. An innovative algorithm, named Island algorithm, able to generate grayscale amplitude Fourier CGHs, is reported and compared with the standard Lee approach, based on 9 levels. A crucial advantage lies on the fact that the increase or decrease of the quantification does not affect the spatial resolution. In other words, the new coding leads to a higher spatial resolution (for a given CGH size) and a reconstructed image with an order of magnitude higher contrast with respect to the classical Lee-coded hologram. In order to show the huge potential of our approach, a 201 level Island hologram is designed, produced and reconstructed, pushing the contrast to values higher than 10 4. These results reveal the potential of our process as well as our algorithm for generating programmable grayscale CGHs.
ESPRESSO at VLT Pepe, F.; Cristiani, S.; Rebolo, R. ...
Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin),
01/2021, Letnik:
645
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Context.
ESPRESSO is the new high-resolution spectrograph of ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). It was designed for ultra-high radial-velocity (RV) precision and extreme spectral fidelity with the aim ...of performing exoplanet research and fundamental astrophysical experiments with unprecedented precision and accuracy. It is able to observe with any of the four Unit Telescopes (UTs) of the VLT at a spectral resolving power of 140 000 or 190 000 over the 378.2 to 788.7 nm wavelength range; it can also observe with all four UTs together, turning the VLT into a 16 m diameter equivalent telescope in terms of collecting area while still providing a resolving power of 70 000.
Aims.
We provide a general description of the ESPRESSO instrument, report on its on-sky performance, and present our Guaranteed Time Observation (GTO) program along with its first results.
Methods.
ESPRESSO was installed on the Paranal Observatory in fall 2017. Commissioning (on-sky testing) was conducted between December 2017 and September 2018. The instrument saw its official start of operations on October 1, 2018, but improvements to the instrument and recommissioning runs were conducted until July 2019.
Results.
The measured overall optical throughput of ESPRESSO at 550 nm and a seeing of 0.65″ exceeds the 10% mark under nominal astroclimatic conditions. We demonstrate an RV precision of better than 25 cm s
−1
during a single night and 50 cm s
−1
over several months. These values being limited by photon noise and stellar jitter shows that the performance is compatible with an instrumental precision of 10 cm s
−1
. No difference has been measured across the UTs, neither in throughput nor RV precision.
Conclusions.
The combination of the large collecting telescope area with the efficiency and the exquisite spectral fidelity of ESPRESSO opens a new parameter space in RV measurements, the study of planetary atmospheres, fundamental constants, stellar characterization, and many other fields.
Aims.
We report on ESPRESSO high-resolution transmission spectroscopic observations of two primary transits of the highly irradiated, ultra-hot Jupiter-sized planet, WASP-76b. We investigated the ...presence of several key atomic and molecular features of interest that may reveal the atmospheric properties of the planet.
Methods.
We extracted two transmission spectra of WASP-76b with
R
≈ 140 000 using a procedure that allowed us to process the full ESPRESSO wavelength range (3800–7880 Å) simultaneously. We observed that at a high signal-to-noise ratio, the continuum of ESPRESSO spectra shows ‘wiggles’, which are likely caused by an interference pattern outside the spectrograph. To search for the planetary features, we visually analysed the extracted transmission spectra and cross-correlated the observations against theoretical spectra of different atomic and molecular species.
Results.
The following atomic features are detected: Li
I
, Na
I
, Mg
I
, Ca
II
, Mn
I
, K
I
, and Fe
I
. All are detected with a confidence level between 9.2
σ
(Na
I
) and 2.8
σ
(Mg
I
). We did not detect the following species: Ti
I
, Cr
I
, Ni
I
, TiO, VO, and ZrO. We impose the following 1
σ
upper limits on their detectability: 60, 77, 122, 6, 8, and 8 ppm, respectively.
Conclusions.
We report the detection of Li
I
on WASP-76b for the first time. In addition, we confirm the presence of Na
I
and Fe
I
as previously reported in the literature. We show that the procedure employed in this work can detect features down to the level of ~0.1% in the transmission spectrum and ~10 ppm by means of a cross-correlation method. We discuss the presence of neutral and singly ionised features in the atmosphere of WASP-76b.
Context. An accurate characterization of the known exoplanet population is key to understanding the origin and evolution of planetary systems. Determining true planetary masses through the radial ...velocity (RV) method is expected to experience a great improvement thanks to the availability of ultra-stable echelle spectrographs. Aims. We took advantage of the extreme precision of the new-generation echelle spectrograph ESPRESSO to characterize the transiting planetary system orbiting the G2V star K2-38 located at 194 pc from the Sun with V ~ 11.4. This system is particularly interesting because it could contain the densest planet detected to date. Methods. We carried out a photometric analysis of the available K2 photometric light curve of this star to measure the radius of its two known planets, K2-38b and K2-38c, with P b = 4.01593 ± 0.00050 d and P c = 10.56103 ± 0.00090 d, respectively. Using 43 ESPRESSO high-precision RV measurements taken over the course of 8 months along with the 14 previously published HIRES RV measurements, we modeled the orbits of the two planets through a Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis, significantly improving their mass measurements. Results. Using ESPRESSO spectra, we derived the stellar parameters, T eff = 5731 ± 66, log g = 4.38 ± 0.11 dex, and Fe/H = 0.26 ± 0.05 dex, and thus the mass and radius of K2-38, M ⋆ = 1.03 −0.02 +0.04 M ⊕ and R ⋆ = 1.06 −0.06 +0.09 R ⊕ . We determine new values for the planetary properties of both planets. We characterize K2-38b as a super-Earth with R P = 1.54 ± 0.14 R ⊕ and M p = 7.3 −1.0 +1.1 M ⊕ , and K2-38c as a sub-Neptune with R P = 2.29 ± 0.26 R ⊕ and M p = 8.3 −1.3 +1.3 M ⊕ . Combining the radius and mass measurements, we derived a mean density of ρ p = 11.0 −2.8 +4.1 g cm −3 for K2-38b and ρ p = 3.8 −1.1 +1.8 g cm −3 for K2-38c, confirming K2-38b as one of the densest planets known to date. Conclusions. The best description for the composition of K2-38b comes from an iron-rich Mercury-like model, while K2-38c is better described by a rocky-model with H2 envelope. The maximum collision stripping boundary shows how giant impacts could be the cause for the high density of K2-38b. The irradiation received by each planet places them on opposite sides of the radius valley. We find evidence of a long-period signal in the RV time-series whose origin could be linked to a 0.25–3 M J planet or stellar activity.
Surface treatment of wire bonding metal pads Alberici, S.; Coulon, D.; Joubin, P. ...
Microelectronic engineering,
11/2003, Letnik:
70, Številka:
2
Journal Article, Conference Proceeding
Recenzirano
The random formation of micrometric crystals on Al bonding pads can be an issue affecting wire bonding metal pad quality. The dry etch chemistry used to remove final passivation dielectric layers ...from the top of the bonding Al pad area is in fact based mainly on fluorine-containing gases (such as CF
4, CHF
3, etc.) which can leave fluorine as a residual on the metal pad surface as bonded or “free” AlF
3, especially in the metal grain boundary zones. Fluorine contamination on the Al wire bonding pads, under particular temperature and humidity conditions, causes the formation of Al(OH)
3 and Al/fluorine compound crystallites, not allowing, as a consequence, growth of the superficial and homogeneous natural Al
2O
3 layer. This paper concerns the analytical methods used to reveal the formation of such crystal defects and the operative solutions effective in preventing them, leaving the metal pad surface in the optimal condition for subsequent wire bonding operations.
ESPRESSO at VLT Pepe, F; Cristiani, S; Rebolo, R ...
Astronomy & astrophysics,
01/2021, Letnik:
645
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Context. ESPRESSO is the new high-resolution spectrograph of ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). It was designed for ultra-high radial-velocity (RV) precision and extreme spectral fidelity with the aim ...of performing exoplanet research and fundamental astrophysical experiments with unprecedented precision and accuracy. It is able to observe with any of the four Unit Telescopes (UTs) of the VLT at a spectral resolving power of 140 000 or 190 000 over the 378.2 to 788.7 nm wavelength range; it can also observe with all four UTs together, turning the VLT into a 16 m diameter equivalent telescope in terms of collecting area while still providing a resolving power of 70 000. Aims. We provide a general description of the ESPRESSO instrument, report on its on-sky performance, and present our Guaranteed Time Observation (GTO) program along with its first results. Methods. ESPRESSO was installed on the Paranal Observatory in fall 2017. Commissioning (on-sky testing) was conducted between December 2017 and September 2018. The instrument saw its official start of operations on October 1, 2018, but improvements to the instrument and recommissioning runs were conducted until July 2019. Results. The measured overall optical throughput of ESPRESSO at 550 nm and a seeing of 0.65″ exceeds the 10% mark under nominal astroclimatic conditions. We demonstrate an RV precision of better than 25 cm s−1 during a single night and 50 cm s−1 over several months. These values being limited by photon noise and stellar jitter shows that the performance is compatible with an instrumental precision of 10 cm s−1. No difference has been measured across the UTs, neither in throughput nor RV precision. Conclusions. The combination of the large collecting telescope area with the efficiency and the exquisite spectral fidelity of ESPRESSO opens a new parameter space in RV measurements, the study of planetary atmospheres, fundamental constants, stellar characterization, and many other fields.
Context. An accurate characterization of the known exoplanet population is key to understanding the origin and evolution of planetary systems. Determining true planetary masses through the radial ...velocity (RV) method is expected to experience a great improvement thanks to the availability of ultra-stable echelle spectrographs. Aims. We took advantage of the extreme precision of the new-generation echelle spectrograph ESPRESSO to characterize the transiting planetary system orbiting the G2V star K2-38 located at 194 pc from the Sun with V ~ 11.4. This system is particularly interesting because it could contain the densest planet detected to date. Methods. We carried out a photometric analysis of the available K2 photometric light curve of this star to measure the radius of its two known planets, K2-38b and K2-38c, with Pb = 4.01593 ± 0.00050 d and Pc = 10.56103 ± 0.00090 d, respectively. Using 43 ESPRESSO high-precision RV measurements taken over the course of 8 months along with the 14 previously published HIRES RV measurements, we modeled the orbits of the two planets through a Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis, significantly improving their mass measurements. Results. Using ESPRESSO spectra, we derived the stellar parameters, Teff = 5731 ± 66, log g = 4.38 ± 0.11 dex, and Fe/H = 0.26 ± 0.05 dex, and thus the mass and radius of K2-38, M⋆ = 1.03−0.02+0.04 M⊕ and R⋆ = 1.06−0.06+0.09 R⊕. We determine new values for the planetary properties of both planets. We characterize K2-38b as a super-Earth with RP = 1.54 ± 0.14 R⊕ and Mp = 7.3−1.0+1.1 M⊕, and K2-38c as a sub-Neptune with RP = 2.29 ± 0.26 R⊕ and Mp = 8.3−1.3+1.3 M⊕. Combining the radius and mass measurements, we derived a mean density of ρp = 11.0−2.8+4.1 g cm−3 for K2-38b and ρp = 3.8−1.1+1.8 g cm−3 for K2-38c, confirming K2-38b as one of the densest planets known to date. Conclusions. The best description for the composition of K2-38b comes from an iron-rich Mercury-like model, while K2-38c is better described by a rocky-model with H2 envelope. The maximum collision stripping boundary shows how giant impacts could be the cause for the high density of K2-38b. The irradiation received by each planet places them on opposite sides of the radius valley. We find evidence of a long-period signal in the RV time-series whose origin could be linked to a 0.25–3 MJ planet or stellar activity.
This paper presents the opto-mechanical integration and alignment, functional and optical performance verification of the NIR arm of Son Of X-Shooter (SOXS) instrument. SOXS will be a single object ...spectroscopic facility for the ESO-NTT 3.6-m telescope, made by two arms high efficiency spectrographs, able to cover the spectral range 350 2050 nm with a mean resolving power R~4500. In particular the NIR arm is a cryogenic echelle cross-dispersed spectrograph spanning the 780-2050 nm range. We describe the integration and alignment method performed to assemble the different opto-mechanical elements and their installation on the NIR vacuum vessel, which mostly relies on mechanical characterization. The tests done to assess the image quality, linear dispersion and orders trace in laboratory conditions are summarized. The full optical performance verification, namely echellogram format, image quality and resulting spectral resolving power in the whole NIR arm (optical path and science detector) is detailed. Such verification is one of the most relevant prerequisites for the subsequent full instrument assembly and provisional acceptance in Europe milestone, foreseen in 2024.
The Son Of X-Shooter (SOXS) is a single object spectrograph offering simultaneous spectral coverage in UV-VIS (350-850 nm) and NIR (800-2000 nm) wavelength regimes with an average of R close to 4500 ...for a 1 slit. SOXS also has imaging capabilities in the visible wavelength regime. It is designed and optimized to observe all kinds of transients and variable sources. The final destination of SOXS is the Nasmyth platform of the ESO NTT at La Silla, Chile. The SOXS consortium has a relatively large geographic spread, and therefore the Assembly Integration and Verification (AIV) of this medium-class instrument follows a modular approach. Each of the five main sub-systems of SOXS, namely the Common Path, the Calibration Unit, the Acquisition Camera, the UV-VIS Spectrograph, and the NIR Spectrograph, are undergoing (or undergone) internal alignment and testing in the respective consortium institutes. INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova delivers the Common Path sub-system, the backbone of the entire instrument. We report the Common Path internal alignment starting from the assembly of the individual components to the final testing of the optical quality, and the efficiency of the complete sub-system.