CCD readout electronics for prototype dragonfly telescope

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to develop readout electronics for an image sensor. This will be used for the development of low cost telescope suitable for detection of kilonova events, in the Dragonfly project. The Dragonfly Project is an initiative aimed at developing a cost-effective, scalable telescope array to detect electromagnetic counterparts of kilonovae, a transient astronomical events linked to neutron star mergers. By deploying an array of 100 low-cost telescopes strategically along the arms of the LIGO-India gravitational wave observatory, the project seeks to enhance sky coverage and improve the probability of capturing faint optical signals associated with gravitational wave events. To achieve this, two core objectives are pursued: the development of custom FPGA based readout electronics and the characterization of CMOS image sensors. The readout electronics were prototyped using the Digilent Basys-3 development board with a Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA, incorporating essential digital components and IP cores, and achieving initial success with linear image sensor readout. Simultaneously, CMOS sensors from QHY600, ATIK, and Moravian C1x cameras (based on the Sony IMX455) were analyzed to evaluate key performance metrics such as noise behavior, dynamic range, and photon response uniformity. These efforts collectively lay the groundwork for building a reliable, affordable astronomical imaging system capable of supporting kilonova detection.