The LSST instrument concept

The LSST Instrument is a wide-field optical (0.3 to lum) imager designed to provide a three degree field-of-view with better than 0.2 arcsecond sampling. The image surface of the LSST is approximately 55 cm in diameter with a curvature radius of 20 to 30 meters. The detector format is currently defined to be a circular mosaic of 568 2k × 2k devices faceted to synthesize this surface within the constraints of LSST's f/1.25 focal ratio. This camera will provide over 2.2 Gigapixels per image with a 2 second readout time. With an expected typical exposure time of as short as 10s, this will yield a nightly data set on order of 3 terapixels. The scale of the LSST Instrument is equivalent to a square mosaic of 47k × 47k. The LSST Instrument will also provide a filter mechanism, as well as optical shuttering capability. Imagers of this size pose interesting challenges in many design areas including detectors, interface electronics, data acquisition and processing pipelines, dewar construction, filter and shutter mechanisms. Further more, the LSST 3 mirror optical system places this instrument in a highly constrained volume where these challenges are compounded. Specific focus is being applied to meeting defined scientific performance requirements with an eye to total cost, system complexity, power consumption, reliability, and risk. This paper will describe the current efforts in the LSST Instrument Concept Design.