These pages are here to provide engineering information about current status of calibration lamps that are used in the ING. Configuration on the WHT A&G lamps and the Nasmyth calibration box can be found here.

Calibration lamps - general information


On the WHT telescope there are two places for calibration (comparison) lamps.
1) inside the A&G box for calibrating instruments on at the Cass focus
2) in the (WEAVE) Cal Unit mounted on the outside of the Telescope centre section (broken cass) for calibrating instruments mounted on the top end.

The broken-Cass CAL Unit has 4 slide positions for calibration sources.For WEAVE these are currently occupied by Tungsten(Quartz Tungsten Halogen or QTH lamp), 2 wavelength standards (Thorium Argon and Cerium Argon) and one Neon arc lamp (1 Amp) used for guide fibre calibration. Light from these sources is directed to the Nasmyth flat and reflected upwards to the top end where the instrument is mounted.

Other power supplies can be found in the WYFFOS Long Camera cabinet underneath the observing floor and in the INT Coude lab in the first grey cabinet on the right.

The types of spectral calibration lamps available are:


The emitting area in a Hollow cathode lamp is typically < 5 mm diameter and contained within a hollow tube. The tubular glass envelope is much larger than the emitting area and the front window is typically 100 mm distant. All of the above makes for very inefficient optical coupling but is the only commercial design available for solid elements. Light is produced by excitation of the solid element through bombardment by accelerated gas species. The chief elements in HC lamps used at ING are Thorium (Th), Copper (Cu) and Iron (Fe), with low pressure fill gases Argon and Neon also producing analytical lines. Most of the Hollow Cathode lamps are quite old and even spares may fail. The most recently procured HC lamps are are Thorium-Argon and Cerium-Argon from Photron and Heraeus in 2016 and 2022.

For details on the lamps or to order them have a look at the following websites:

  1. Pen-ray lamps
    www.newport.com/f/pencil-style-calibration-lamps
    http://www.uvp.com
    NIST-Oriel Joint Reseach on pencil lamps
  2. Hollow Cathode lamps
    < a href="https://www.heraeus.com/en/hng/products_and_solutions/lamps_for_optics_and_analytics/hollow_cathode_lamps.aspx"> Heraeus hollow cathode lamps www.photronlamp.com/product/astronomical-calibration-lamps.html/
    http://www.hilger-crystals.co.uk/prior/stand.htm
    http://www.sjjuniper.com/home.asp

 

  

Figure1

                    Figure2

Calibration lamps - current status


The main storage space for Calibration lamps is the Wyffos Lamps cabinet in the mezzanine floor but some regularly swapped lamps are left in Observing floor cabinet. Current location given in table entries below. The installation of lamps in the AF2/WEAVE Cal Unit has to be done by an engineer on a support astronomer. Lamps currently in use should be identified with a green background here and broken ones with a red background (from 2016)

 Number    Type             Filler gas    Element    Brand    Location    Information    Date    Username

Penray lamp 

17 penray  "A" (Argon)    Oriel  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet    06/10/04, 10:38:49  mfb
"24"
66056303
penray  Kr    Oriel  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet    12/11/04, 5/2016  NOM 
blank penray  Kr    Oriel  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet    5/2016 identified  NOM 
25 penray  Ar    Oriel  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet    12/11/04, 5/2016  mfb
27 penray  Hg (A)    Oriel  Observing Floor Cabinet  labelled "in use" - last used in AF2 Cal Unit, but substituted by ThAr  12/11/04, 09:17:42  mfb
28 penray  Hg (A)    Oriel  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet    12/11/04, 09:18:19  mfb
penray  Hg (A)    Oriel  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet    first entry 5/2016  NOM
Ne2016-1  penray  Ne    UVP  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet  Bought 7/2016 to resolve failing lamps. Spare for WEAVE  8/2016  NOM
Ne2016-2  penray  Ne    UVP  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet  Bought 7/2016 to resolve failing lamps. Spare for WEAVE  8/2016  NOM
Ne2016-3  penray  Ne    UVP  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet  Bought 7/2016 to resolve failing lamps. Spare for WEAVE  8/2016  NOM
B-173001  penray  Ne    Not located 2016    10/03/06, 6/6/16  NOM
B-173189 penray  Ne    Oriel  Test Focal Station  Failed to strike in AF2 Cal Unit 2016/6/9. Works in Lab with short delay. 27/01/10 NOM
B-172999  penray  Ne    Oriel  TFS Waste bulbs  Tested on 09/02/2010 by Tibor Agocs - NOT WORKING 09/02/10 Tibor
missing (29?) penray  Ne    Oriel  Test Focal Stn waste  Requested to change it after fault #16517 Flickering, very weak. 12/11/04, 6/6/2016  NOM
B-173281  penray  Ne    Not located 2016  Received 10/03/2005  10/03/05, 6/6/2016  NOM
B-173282  penray  Ne    Not located 2016  Received 10/03/2005  10/03/05, 6/6/2016  NOM
B-173280  penray  Ne    Oriel  Test focal station waste lamps  Received 10/03/2005. Removed from service 2014/1. Dead.   10/03/05, 15:46:45  NOM
B-173284  penray  Ne    Oriel  Removed from AF2 Cal Unit 9/6/16 to Test Focal Station.   Received 10/03/2005 9/6/16 Intermittent fault, long delays in striking when cold  10/03/05, 15:49:00  NOM
B-173286  penray  Ne    Oriel  AF2 Cal Unit (in service)  Received 10/03/2005, 

Working in AF2 Cal Unit 2016/6/9

10/03/05, 9/6/16 27/01/10 NOM
B-173287  penray  Ne    Oriel  TFS waste bulbs  Received 10/03/2005,

Tested on 27/01/2010 by Tibor Agocs - NOT WORKING

10/03/05, 27/01/10 Tibor 
B173007  penray  Ar    UVP  working 2/14. Spare.    10/03/06, 14:38:13  NOM
B-173564  penray  Ar    UVP  located 5/2016. Spare    10/03/06, 14:38:44  NOM
B-173192  penray  Ar    UVP  entered 5/2016. Has been used.    original date 30-8-04  MFB
B-173191  penray  Ar    UVP  entered 5/2016. Spare    original date 30/8/2004  MFB
B-173172  penray  Ar    UVP  entered 5/2016. Used?    original date 16-07-04  MFB
  penray (large size)  unknown  Cd (Cadmium)  Oriel  TFS Optics Cabinet #3   Tested in Wyffos for far blue lines  April 2012  NOM
  penray (large size)  unknown  Zn (Zinc)  Oriel  TFS Optics Cabinet #3   Tested in Wyffos for far blue lines  April 2012  NOM
B-173192  penray  Ar    UVP  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet  entered 5/2016. Has been used.  original date 30-8-04  NOM
Xe2016-1  penray  Xe    UVP  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet    entered 5/2016  NOM
(box 28)  penray  Xe    Oriel  Observing Floor Cabinet  old spare  entered 5/2016  NOM
66083195  penray  Xe    Oriel  Observing Floor Cabinet  in service - LIRIS  entered 5/2016  NOM

Hollow cathode lamps 

 Number    Type             Filler gas    Element    Location    Information    Date    Username
PEG2148 cathode  Ar  Th  AF2 Calibration Unit  Photron 60mA purchsed for WEAVE  Jan 2016 ISIS tests
May in AF2 Cal Unit 
NOM
HNB0798 cathode  Ar  Th  TFS Optical Cabinet #3  Photron 60mA purchsed for WEAVE  received, tested May 2016  NOM
HNB0799 cathode  Ar  Th  TFS Optical Cabinet #3  Photron 60mA purchsed for WEAVE  received, tested May 2016  NOM
HNC0726 cathode  Ar  Th  TFS Optical Cabinet #3  Photron 60mA purchsed for WEAVE  received, tested May 2016  NOM
80018123 cathode  Ar  Th  TFS Optical Cabinet #3  Heraeus 15mA used for Wyffos 2012-2016   April 2012  NOM
1 cathode  Ar  Th  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet    05/10/04, 14:59:17  mfb
2 cathode  Ar  Fe  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet    05/10/04, 15:20:36  mfb
#003 (Hilger 10033) cathode  He  Cu  Test Focal Station    Draws No Current - Glow only, 4 bright lines in IDS/1200 20/03/12, 11 am  nom
4 cathode  Ne  Hg  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet    05/10/04, 15:22:50  mfb
5 cathode  Ne  Fe  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet    05/10/04, 15:23:49  mfb
#006 (10816) cathode  Ar  Cu  Test Focal Station    Hilger (v.old) Weaker lines disappearing, stronger lines increasing. OK for low-res work? 20/03/12, 11 a.m.  nom
7 cathode  Ar  Fe  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet    05/10/04, 15:30:54  mfb
#008 (10815) cathode  Ar  Cu  Test Focal Station    Weaker lines disappearing, stronger lines increasing. Hilger (v.old) 20/03/12 11 a.m.   nom
9 cathode  Ne  Ni  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet  Looks bad  05/10/04, 15:46:13  mfb
10 cathode  Cu  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet    05/10/04, 15:48:57  mfb
11 cathode  Ne  Fe  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet    05/10/04, 15:49:33  mfb
12 cathode  Ar  Cu  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet    06/10/04, 09:07:32  mfb
#013 cathode  Cu  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet   Westinghouse, weaker lines are reasonable at higher than usual current (20mA max) 20/03/12 11 a.m.  nom
14 cathode  Ar  Cu  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet    06/10/04, 09:09:37  mfb
18 cathode  Ar  Th  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet    06/10/04, 10:55:14  mfb
19 cathode  Ar  Cu  Wyffos L.C. Cabinet    06/10/04, 10:55:36  mfb
#020 (Juniper 904165) cathode  Ar  Cu  IDS CuAr position (Lamp 1)  Weaker lines giving good counts in 180s for 1200 grating. Startup problem (1997) not observed.  20/03/12 12 a.m.  nom
21 cathode  Ar  Cu  Filter Cabinet    06/10/04, 11:24:22  mfb
22 cathode  Cu  Filter Cabinet    06/10/04, 11:26:06  mfb
23 cathode  Ar  Th  Filter Cabinet    06/10/04, 11:26:45  mfb
  cathode  Ar  Th  Filter Cabinet  This lamp is on loan from ESO (contact Max Pettini)  06/10/04, 11:28:10  mfb

Other 

15 other  Hg    Wyffos L.C. Cabinet  Type: Super Pressure mercury Lamp Manufacturer: Wotan, Germany  06/10/04, 09:54:35  mfb
16 other  Hg    Wyffos L.C. Cabinet  Type: Super Pressure mercury Lamp Manufacturer: Wotan, Germany  06/10/04, 09:55:43  mfb