Experimental UV Astronomy

UV space astronomy has a long and prominent tradition in Tübingen. The ORFEUS far-UV telescope was designed and built under our management and flew twice, on Space Shuttles Discovery and Columbia (1993 and 1996). Developments of MCP detector systems started in Tübingen already in 1981.

We currently work on the development of Microchannel Plate (MCP) detectors for future ultraviolet space missions. These detectors use cross-strip-anodes together with a Beetle-chip as readout device. The Beetle-chip is controlled via an FPGA, on which also the central data pipeline as well as the control unit for the detector system is implemented.

We also work currently on the development of the instrument STUDIO (Stratospheric Ultraviolet Demonstrator of an Imaging Observatory) for the European balloon project ESBO-DS (European Stratospheric Balloon Observatory – Design Study).

Poster presented at Bachelor-/Mastertag of the physics department 2023