This page provides links and information regarding the testing of the KELT instrument components.

The various components of the KELT telescope were tested in Nashville prior to deployment to Sutherland, and also during telescope deployment. The field testing in Nashville took place at Dyer Observatory. This picture shows the telescope at Dyer during testing in Nashville with KELT team members (from left to right) Joshua Pepper, Keivan Stassun, and David James.

Below are listed the tests planned for the instrument.

• Bias Levels
  • BIAS Stability
  • Reproducibility/repeatability
  • Flatness (edge effects)
• Shutter Control
  • Timing
  • Center-to-edge shadowing effects
•  Dark Currents
  • Quantify dark current
    • as a function of exposure time?
  • Reproducibility/repeatability
• Bad Pixel/Defects Map
  • Hot/dead pixels
  • Edge effects
  • Bad columns
• CCD Characterization
  • GAIN

  • Readout Noise

    Stability

    Reproducibility/repeatability

• Light Leaks
• Flat Field Process
  • Flatness across the image
  • Reproducibility/repeatability
  • Vignetting function
  • Exposure map
  • Sensitivity
• Focus Tests
• Cosmic Ray Effects
  • Qualify and quantify effects of cosmic rays upon the chip
    • as a function of exposure time?
    • as a function of pixel extent?
• Environmental Stability of System - Thermal variations of Peltier Cooler?
  • excess heat
  • excess cold
  • direct sunlight
  • expansion/contraction of key components?
  • breeze
• Mechanical Variations - Stress/strain/warping due to variation
  • in gravity vector?
  • flexure of Lens/CCD?
  • resultant light leaks?
  • flat field deviations?
• Filter Response Function
  • Sensitivity of filter+camera assembly
    • color response as a function of exposure time?
  • Field distortions
  • Flat field deviations
• Food for Thought!
  • Can we slew and expose at the same time?  That is, can we take bias test frames as we slew from one field to another ?