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MCI: Multi-Channel Imager on the Chinese Space Station Survey Telescope

Zhen-Ya Zheng, Chun Xu, Xiaohua Liu, Yong-He Chen, Fang Xu, Hu Zhan, Xinfeng Li, Lixin Zheng, Huanyuan Shan, Jing Zhong, Zhaojun Yan, Fang-Ting Yuan, Chunyan Jiang, Xiyan Peng, Wei Chen, Xue Cheng, Zhen-Lei Chen, Shuairu Zhu, Lin Long, Xin Zhang, Yan Gong, Li Shao, Wei Wang, Tianyi Zhang, Guohao Ju, Chenghao Li, Wei Wang, Zhiyuan Li, Tao Wang, Junfeng Wang, Chengyuan Li, Bin Ma, Jianguo Wang, Lei Wang, Dezi Liu, Nie Lin, Kexin Li, Xinrong Wen, Maochun Wu, Ruqiu Lin, Xiang Ji

Abstract

The Multi-Channel Imager (MCI) is a powerful near-ultraviolet (NUV) and visible imager onboard the Chinese Space Station Survey Telescope (CSST). The MCI provides three imaging channels, which are the NUV channel, the Blue channel and the Red channel, with the wavelength range of 255-430 nm, 430-700 nm, and 700-1000 nm, respectively. MCI's three channels can target the same field simultaneously, which is unique compared to other imagers onboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) or the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Each channel employs a CCD focal plane of 9216 x 9232 pixels and $\sim$7\arcmin.5 x 7\arcmin.5 field of view (FOV), which are about $\gtrsim 4$ times greater than the FOVs of HST imagers. The MCI's three channels feature unprecedented sensitivities and field of views complement the NUV and visible capabilities of the CSST for high-precision photometry and weak-signal detection, which would help build a new standard-star system and the deepest UV-Optical exposures for CSST. Rich filter sets of MCI would help explore other sciences such as local emission line mapping, high-z Ly$α$ emitters searching, etc. Here we present key design features, results of current ground tests, and suggested observing strategies of the MCI.

MCI: Multi-Channel Imager on the Chinese Space Station Survey Telescope

Abstract

The Multi-Channel Imager (MCI) is a powerful near-ultraviolet (NUV) and visible imager onboard the Chinese Space Station Survey Telescope (CSST). The MCI provides three imaging channels, which are the NUV channel, the Blue channel and the Red channel, with the wavelength range of 255-430 nm, 430-700 nm, and 700-1000 nm, respectively. MCI's three channels can target the same field simultaneously, which is unique compared to other imagers onboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) or the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Each channel employs a CCD focal plane of 9216 x 9232 pixels and 7\arcmin.5 x 7\arcmin.5 field of view (FOV), which are about times greater than the FOVs of HST imagers. The MCI's three channels feature unprecedented sensitivities and field of views complement the NUV and visible capabilities of the CSST for high-precision photometry and weak-signal detection, which would help build a new standard-star system and the deepest UV-Optical exposures for CSST. Rich filter sets of MCI would help explore other sciences such as local emission line mapping, high-z Ly emitters searching, etc. Here we present key design features, results of current ground tests, and suggested observing strategies of the MCI.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 11 sections, 6 figures, 3 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Key Design Features of MCI
  3. Optical System with Simultaneous Three Channels
  4. 30 Filters in Three Channels
  5. CCD
  6. Sensitivity and Exposure Time Calculator
  7. Ground Tests
  8. Detector Noise
  9. Image Quality
  10. Suggested Observing Strategies of the MCI
  11. Summary

Figures (6)

  • Figure 1: Diagram of MCI components and light path.
  • Figure 2: Filter transmission curves of MCI's 30 filters.
  • Figure 3: a): e2v CCD290-99; b): Quantum efficiency curves of MCI's CCDs in three channels.
  • Figure 4: System throughputs of the CSST-MCI's three channels and the HST cameras.
  • Figure 5: 5-$\sigma$ limiting magnitudes of a point source with a flat spectrum for all these 30 filters with exposure times of 30 sec (top panel), 300 sec (middle panel), and 6x300 sec (bottom panel) calculated with the ETC.
  • ...and 1 more figures