Instrumentation R&D

IFAE has played a pivotal role in the construction of the first Large Size Telescope (LST1) at the Observatorio Roque de los Muchachos. Leading the project, IFAE has overseen design, construction, integration, and commissioning of the camera already in operation in the LST1 as well as its control software. IFAE also designed the undercarriage system of the LST, which allows the telescope to rotate in azimuth.

The LST1 camera comprises 1855 high-performance PMTs from Hamamatsu, covering an area of 4 square meters. The camera is grouped in modules of 7 PMTs, which include the photo-sensor, light guides, and digitalization and trigger systems. The camera body is a 3x3-meter square of 1.5-meter depth. IFAE was in charge of the conceptual design, coordination, and integration of the entire camera and produced the module trigger and power systems. The LST camera has many subsystems which are put together through the camera control developed at IFAE.

The undercarriage consists of a circular rail, six wheel bogies running on top of it and an automatic locking system. The rail and the bogies are designed for a smooth and efficient movement of the full telescope in azimuthal direction. They are also designed to tolerate strong vertical forces both in the downward and upward directions. The locking system ensures that the telescope does not move even in the worst environmental conditions. The production of the six bogies for the LST1 took place at different institutes, including IFAE, CIEMAT, INFN Padova, MPI Munich, and University of Hamburg, under IFAE’s supervision, and they were later transported to IFAE for assembly. The full system is currently operational at La Palma.

IFAE’s strong involvement in the LST-1 construction has also led to its key role in the construction of three additional LSTs (LST2-4) to be installed at the Observatorio Roque de los Muchachos. The Union Temporal de Empresas LC24, of which IFAE is the main partner, won the bidding for the electronic production, integration, and validation of the cameras for LST2-4. The cameras have already been produced and are waiting for the structure to be ready for installation. Additionally, IFAE has been supervising the production and implementing a few improvements for the bogies of LST2-4. As the LST1 nears the end of its commissioning and moves into the early science phase, IFAE is leading the development of the LST data analysis software.