Development of Data Acquisition Systems for a Novel Gamma-Ray Telescope.
Course Credit?
Yes - PH495Paid Position?
NoFaculty
Marcos SantanderDescription
The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is a next-generation ground-based gamma-ray observatory that will provide unique observations of extreme astrophysical objects such as supermassive black holes at the centers of distant galaxies and the remnants of supernova explosions in our own galaxy. The main US contribution to the CTA project is a proposed array of Schwarzschild-Couder Telescopes (SCTs) which have superior performance with respect to more traditional designs due to its improved optics and camera. The first prototype SCT is being built at the Whipple Observatory site in southern Arizona and the UA group led by Prof. Santander is responsible for providing data acquisition and control software for the telescope camera. A live view of the telescope under construction is available here: http://cta-psct.physics.ucla.edu/ The student(s) will be part of the development team and collaborate with colleagues at other institutions working on the CTA project. The development will concentrate on parts of the software that gathers and stores the data collected by the telescope's camera, the control of the camera, and the storage of monitoring information. It is foreseen that the development of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for the telescope operators will be developed as part of this work. The software is being developed largely in python, so some familiarity with the programming language would be beneficial. The position is unpaid at the start, but depending on performance and funds availability it can be converted to a paid, longer-term position.
Special Skills
Some familiarity with Python, C++. Familiarity with linux-based systems.