Scientific Verification Study of the Dark Energy Camera

Mathematical and Physical Sciences: 1st Place (The Ohio State University Denman Undergraduate Research Forum)In the past two decades, it has been found that our universe is expanding at an accelerating rate. The cause of this expansion is still unclear. One possible explanation is the existence of a new energy component with negative pressure, called “dark energy”, that is driving the expansion. The other explanation is that general relativity breaks down on cosmological scales. One way to investigate this phenomenon is by measuring the expansion history and growth of large scale structure in the universe. This can be done through the use of dedicated surveys which measure millions of astronomical objects. In order to study dark energy, the Dark Energy Survey (DES) collaboration has constructed the Dark Energy Camera (DECam), a specialized camera sensitive to light in the visible and infrared spectrum. The DECam has finished its testing period for the systems which compose the telescope and camera, and is approaching the completion of its first season of the survey. The goal of this project is to identify issues with the exposures taken by the DECam. First, catalogs of telescope, hexapod, and exposure data were made using Python scrips. This data was then analyzed, investigating relations between a number of factors such as telescope orientation and configuration, environmental conditions, and image quality. Various correlations were found or verified as a result of this analysis. These included, but were not limited to, correlations of the image offsets against the hexapod and telescope positions. Other correlations were found not to exist, such as a correlation between telescope position and shutter errors. These results reveal possible issues that, if corrected, may increase the quality of exposures taken by the DECam and prevent delays in its operation. Understanding this complex instrument and improving the quality of delivered images is an ongoing effort. The DECam began its survey in September in 2013 and will continue for 5 years.DOENSFSTFC (UK)Ministry of Education and Science (Spain)FINEP (Brazil)Collaborating Institutions: http://www.darkenergysurvey.org/collaboration/Academic Major: Engineering Physic