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Image: Mont-Mégantic Observatory
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A team of researchers led by Olivier Daigle, a Univ. of Montréal PhD student in physics, developed the world's most sensitive astronomical camera. The camera is marketed by Photon etc., a young Quebec firm, and will be used by the Mont-Mégantic Observatory and NASA, which purchased the first unit.
The camera is made up of a CCD controller for counting photons, which is a digital imagery device that amplifies photons observed by astronomical cameras or by other instruments used in situations of very low luminosity. The controller produces 25 gigabytes of data per second. The electric signals used to pilot the imagery chip are 500 times more precise than those of a conventional controller. This increased precision helps reduce the noise that interferes with the weak signals coming from astronomical objects in the night sky. Therefore, the controller allows to substantially increase the sensitivity of detectors. The sensitivity obtained is as if the mirror of the Mont-Mégantic telescope doubled its diameter.
“The first astronomical results are astounding and highlight the increased sensitivity acquired by the new controller,” says Olivier Daigle, researcher at the Univ. de Montréal Department of Physics. “The clarity of the images brings us so much closer to the stars that we are attempting to understand.”
A thriving Quebec company
Photon etc. developed a commercial version of the controller devised by Olivier Daigle and his team and integrated it in complete cameras. NASA was first to place an order for one of these cameras and was soon followed by a research group from the Univ. of Sao Paulo, and by a European-Canadian consortium equipping a telescope in Chili. In addition, researchers in nuclear medicine, bioluminescence, Raman imaging and other fields requiring rapid imagery have expressed interest in purchasing the cameras.
Photon etc. is a Quebec research and development company and a specialized manufacturer of photonic measurement and analysis instruments. The company is growing rapidly after spending four years in the Univ. of Montréal and École Polytechnique IT business incubator.
“The sensitivity of the cameras developed by the Centre de recherche en astrophysique du Québec (CRAQ) and Photon etc. will not only help us better understand the depths of the universe but also better perceive weak optical signals coming from the human body. These signals can reveal the early signs of several diseases such as macular degeneration and certain types of cancer. An early diagnostic leads to early intervention, hopefully before the disease becomes more serious thus saving lives and important costs,” says Sébastien Blais-Ouellette, president of Photon etc.
The complete scientific results were published in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, a prestigious publication specialized in instrumentation. This research was made possible thanks to the financial support of several partners such as the Natural Sciences And Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Industrial Postgraduate Scholarships Program, in collaboration with Photon etc., and a research grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the Fonds québécois de la recherche sur la nature et les technologies (FQRNT), and the NSERC's Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP).
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