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Home > Information for Researchers > Proposal Calls > Basic Science > FORCAST

FORCAST - Faint Object Infrared Camera for the SOFIA Telescope

PI: Dr. Terry Herter (Cornell University)

FORCAST is a mid/far-infrared camera. It has 256 x 256 Si:As and Si:Sb blocked-impurity-band detectors. The sampling is 0.75" per pixel, giving a 3.2' x 3.2' instantaneous field of view.

The instrument has two channels, the Short Wavelength Channel (SWC) with nine available filters and the Long Wavelength Channel (LWC) with four available filters. The central wavelengths (bandpasses) of the filters in mum are as follows:

SWC    
5.4 (0.16) (PS plot) (ascii)
6.4 (0.14) (PS plot) (ascii)
6.6 (0.24) (PS plot) (ascii)
7.7 (0.47) (PS plot) (ascii)
8.6 (0.21) (PS plot) (ascii)
11.1 (0.95) (PS plot) (ascii)
11.3 (0.24) (PS plot) (ascii)
19.7 (5.5) (PS plot) (ascii)
24.2 (2.9) (PS plot) (ascii)
     
LWC    
31.5 (5.7) (PS plot) (ascii)
33.6 (1.9) (PS plot) (ascii)
34.8 (3.8) (PS plot) (ascii)
37.1 (3.3) (PS plot) (ascii)

The PostScript files contain plots of the full system throughput (excluding atmosphere) for the filters.

Any one of the available filters can be used in Single Channel mode. FORCAST allows for a Dual Channel mode in which any one of the LWC filters can be used simultaneously with the 11.1, 11.3, 19.7 or 24.2 mum filter on the SWC.

The exposure time for proposed observations can be calculated using the online tool, SITE.

A more detailed description of FORCAST, and the FORCAST team can be found on the instrument web page.

 

 

 

 

 


Page Last Updated: June 14, 2010

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