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arXiv · 2606.31806

The On-Sky Performance of the LSST Camera CCD Array

Sean Patrick MacBride·Aaron Roodman·Stuart Marshall·Yousuke Utsumi·Kevin Fanning·John Banovetz·Theo Schutt·Alexander Broughton·Shuang Liang·Andrew P. Rasmussen·Pierre Antilogus·John Gregg Thayer·Homer Neal·Anthony S. Johnson·Pierre Astier·Seth W. Digel·Andrew Bradshaw·Johan Bregeon·James Chiang·Céline Combet·Guillaume Dargaud·Johnny H. Esteves·Marcelle Soares-Santos·Thibault Guillemin·Claire Juramy-Gilles·Craig S. Lage·Myriam Migliore·Daniel Polin·J. Anthony Tyson·Renee Nichols·Steven M. Ritz·Eli S. Rykoff·Adrian Shestakov·Adam Snyder·Max Turri·Duncan Wood·Travis Lange·Martin Nordby·Hannah Mary Margaret Pollek·Shawn Osier·Boyd Bowdish·Diane Hascall·Margaux Lopez·Scott P. Newbry·Juan Carlos Lazarte·Vincent Lee·Michael Silva·Dave Kiehl·Andrew Hau·Tom Nieland·Nico Linton·David Shelley·Yongqiang·Qiu·Mark Freytag·Stephen Cisneros·Chris Mendez·Stephen A. Tether·Alan M. Eisner·Dmitry Onoprienko·Owen Saxton·Kevin A. Reil·Vincent J. Riot·Justin Wolfe·Scott E. Winters·Brian J. Bauman·William Wahl·Paul O'Connor·Françoise Virieux·Alexandre Boucaud·Camille Parisel·Éric Aubourg·Eric Lagorio·Pierre Karst·Aurélien Marini·Didier Laporte·Francis Vezzu·Guillaume Daubard·Patrick Breugnon·Tim W. Bond·Eric Charles·Richard Dubois·Steven M. Kahn·Andrés A. Plazas Malagón·Rafe H. Schindler·Joanne Bogart·Hye Yun Park·Aurélien Barrau·Christopher Z. Waters·Merlin Fisher-Levine·Antoine Bernard·Mile Kusulja
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Abstract

The focal plane of the LSST Camera contains 189 individual science CCDs, arranged into 21 raft tower modules, along with 4 wavefront and 8 guider CCDs located in 4 additional corner RTMs. Altogether, the LSST Camera CCDs compose the largest focal plane ever constructed. The LSST Camera is the primary instrument of Rubin Observatory, which will begin the Legacy Survey of Space and Time in 2026. In this paper, we describe the on-sky performance of the LSST Camera CCDs, from receipt at NSF/DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory in May 2024 to on-sky observations during the first year of operations. We discuss the process to establish functionality of several CCDs which were affected by an electrical short and faulty analog-digital converter, optimizations of readout timing in response to changes in the survey strategy, and implementation of enhanced focal plane safety measures through an active clearing mechanism on the CCDs. Finally, we discuss sensor features observed on-sky, and global performance during the first year of operations. The operations to date of the LSST Camera CCDs have demonstrated the capability of performing a wide, fast, and deep optical imaging survey of the entire southern sky at the Rubin Observatory.

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Sean Patrick MacBride, Aaron Roodman, Stuart Marshall, Yousuke Utsumi, Kevin Fanning, John Banovetz, Theo Schutt, Alexander Broughton, Shuang Liang, Andrew P. Rasmussen, Pierre Antilogus, John Gregg Thayer, Homer Neal, Anthony S. Johnson, Pierre Astier, Seth W. Digel, Andrew Bradshaw, Johan Bregeon, James Chiang, Céline Combet, Guillaume Dargaud, Johnny H. Esteves, Marcelle Soares-Santos, Thibault Guillemin, Claire Juramy-Gilles, Craig S. Lage, Myriam Migliore, Daniel Polin, J. Anthony Tyson, Renee Nichols, Steven M. Ritz, Eli S. Rykoff, Adrian Shestakov, Adam Snyder, Max Turri, Duncan Wood, Travis Lange, Martin Nordby, Hannah Mary Margaret Pollek, Shawn Osier, Boyd Bowdish, Diane Hascall, Margaux Lopez, Scott P. Newbry, Juan Carlos Lazarte, Vincent Lee, Michael Silva, Dave Kiehl, Andrew Hau, Tom Nieland, Nico Linton, David Shelley, Yongqiang, Qiu, Mark Freytag, Stephen Cisneros, Chris Mendez, Stephen A. Tether, Alan M. Eisner, Dmitry Onoprienko, Owen Saxton, Kevin A. Reil, Vincent J. Riot, Justin Wolfe, Scott E. Winters, Brian J. Bauman, William Wahl, Paul O'Connor, Françoise Virieux, Alexandre Boucaud, Camille Parisel, Éric Aubourg, Eric Lagorio, Pierre Karst, Aurélien Marini, Didier Laporte, Francis Vezzu, Guillaume Daubard, Patrick Breugnon, Tim W. Bond, Eric Charles, Richard Dubois, Steven M. Kahn, Andrés A. Plazas Malagón, Rafe H. Schindler, Joanne Bogart, Hye Yun Park, Aurélien Barrau, Christopher Z. Waters, Merlin Fisher-Levine, Antoine Bernard, Mile Kusulja. 2026-06-30. The On-Sky Performance of the LSST Camera CCD Array. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.31806

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