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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2024
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.14704 |
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| _version_ | 1866911928546230272 |
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| author | Prada, F. Gomez-Merchan, R. Pérez, E. Betancort-Rijo, J. E. Leñero-Bardallo, J. A. Rodríguez-Vázquez, Á. Glez-de-Rivera, G. Díaz-López, S. Cantalapiedra, J. de Elias |
| author_facet | Prada, F. Gomez-Merchan, R. Pérez, E. Betancort-Rijo, J. E. Leñero-Bardallo, J. A. Rodríguez-Vázquez, Á. Glez-de-Rivera, G. Díaz-López, S. Cantalapiedra, J. de Elias |
| contents | We present results from the occultation of Betelgeuse by asteroid (319) Leona on December 12, 2023, observed using a 64x64 pixel Single-Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) array mounted on a 10-inch telescope at the AstroCamp Observatory in Nerpio, Southeast of Spain, just a few kilometers from the center of the occultation shadow path. This study highlights remarkable advancements in applying SPAD technology in astronomy. The SPAD array's asynchronous readout capacity and photon-counting timestamp mode enabled a temporal resolution of 1 microsecond in our light curve observations of Betelgeuse. Our data analysis addressed challenges inherent to SPAD arrays, such as optical cross-talk and afterpulses, which typically cause the photon statistics to deviate from a Poisson distribution. By adopting a generalized negative binomial distribution for photon statistics, we accurately describe the observational data. This method yielded an optical cross-talk estimation of 1.07% in our SPAD array and confirmed a negligible impact of spurious detected events due to afterpulses. The meticulous statistical examination of photon data underscores our SPAD-array's exceptional performance in conducting precise astronomical observations. The observations revealed a major decrease in Betelgeuse's intensity by 77.78% at the occultation's peak, allowing us to measure Betelgeuse's angular diameter at 57.26 mas in the SDSS g-band. This measurement, employing a simplified occultation model and considering the known properties of Leona, demonstrates the potential of SPAD technology for astronomy and sets a new standard for observing ultra-rapid transient celestial events, providing a valuable public dataset for the astronomical community. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2406_14704 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Single-photon gig in Betelgeuse's occultation Prada, F. Gomez-Merchan, R. Pérez, E. Betancort-Rijo, J. E. Leñero-Bardallo, J. A. Rodríguez-Vázquez, Á. Glez-de-Rivera, G. Díaz-López, S. Cantalapiedra, J. de Elias Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics Earth and Planetary Astrophysics We present results from the occultation of Betelgeuse by asteroid (319) Leona on December 12, 2023, observed using a 64x64 pixel Single-Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) array mounted on a 10-inch telescope at the AstroCamp Observatory in Nerpio, Southeast of Spain, just a few kilometers from the center of the occultation shadow path. This study highlights remarkable advancements in applying SPAD technology in astronomy. The SPAD array's asynchronous readout capacity and photon-counting timestamp mode enabled a temporal resolution of 1 microsecond in our light curve observations of Betelgeuse. Our data analysis addressed challenges inherent to SPAD arrays, such as optical cross-talk and afterpulses, which typically cause the photon statistics to deviate from a Poisson distribution. By adopting a generalized negative binomial distribution for photon statistics, we accurately describe the observational data. This method yielded an optical cross-talk estimation of 1.07% in our SPAD array and confirmed a negligible impact of spurious detected events due to afterpulses. The meticulous statistical examination of photon data underscores our SPAD-array's exceptional performance in conducting precise astronomical observations. The observations revealed a major decrease in Betelgeuse's intensity by 77.78% at the occultation's peak, allowing us to measure Betelgeuse's angular diameter at 57.26 mas in the SDSS g-band. This measurement, employing a simplified occultation model and considering the known properties of Leona, demonstrates the potential of SPAD technology for astronomy and sets a new standard for observing ultra-rapid transient celestial events, providing a valuable public dataset for the astronomical community. |
| title | Single-photon gig in Betelgeuse's occultation |
| topic | Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics Earth and Planetary Astrophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.14704 |