The Multi Aperture Scintillation Sensor (MASS) used in the site selection of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)

S. G. Els; M. Schoeck; J. Seguel; W. Skidmore; D. Walker; A. Tokovinin; V. Kornilov; R. Riddle; T. Travouillon; E. Bustos; J. Vasquez; R. Blum; B. Gregory; P. Gillett

doi:10.1117/12.788954

10 July 2008 The Multi Aperture Scintillation Sensor (MASS) used in the site selection of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)

S. G. Els, M. Schoeck, J. Seguel, W. Skidmore, D. Walker, A. Tokovinin, V. Kornilov, R. Riddle, T. Travouillon, E. Bustos, J. Vasquez, R. Blum, B. Gregory, P. Gillett

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 7012, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes II; 701222 (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.788954
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2008, Marseille, France

Abstract

One of the main tools used in the TMT site testing campaign is the turbulence profiler MASS. We describe empirical investigations and a side by side comparison of two MASS systems which were performed in order to identify the accuracy of MASS turbulence data and its dependence on the instrument calibration. The accuracy of the total seeing delivered by the TMT MASS systems is found to be better than 0"05. The combination of MASS and DIMM allows to observe the seeing within the first few hundred meters of the atmosphere and can be used to investigate possible correlations with meteorological parameters measured close to the ground. We also compare the detection of clouds and cirrus by means of MASS data (LOSSAM method) with measurements of the thermal emission of clouds using a net radiation sensor. These methods are compared with the visual cloud detection using all sky cameras.

Citation Download Citation

S. G. Els, M. Schoeck, J. Seguel, W. Skidmore, D. Walker, A. Tokovinin, V. Kornilov, R. Riddle, T. Travouillon, E. Bustos, J. Vasquez, R. Blum, B. Gregory, and P. Gillett "The Multi Aperture Scintillation Sensor (MASS) used in the site selection of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)", Proc. SPIE 7012, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes II, 701222 (10 July 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.788954

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