Development of Raspberry Pi-based Processing Unit for UV Photon-Counting Detectors

Abstract

In ultraviolet (UV) astronomical observations, photons from the sources are very few compared to the visible or infrared (IR) wavelength ranges. Detectors operating in the UV usually employ a photon-counting mode of operation. These detectors usually have an image intensifier sensitive to UV photons and a readout mechanism that employs photon counting. The development of readouts for these detectors is resource-intensive and expensive. In this paper, we describe the development of a low-cost UV photon-counting detector processing unit that employs a Raspberry Pi (RPi) with its built-in readout to perform the photon-counting operation. Our system can operate in both [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] window modes at 30 frames per second (fps). The system can be built quickly from readily available custom-off-the-shelf (COTS) components and is thus used in inexpensive CubeSats or small satellite missions.