The AQUEYE+IQUEYE project

Our team at the University of Padova and the INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Padova is engaged in the investigation of very high time resolution astrophysical phenomena in the optical band, down to the limit of Quantum Optics. To this purpose, since 2005 we design, construct and operate instruments with very high time resolution for applications to optical fast photon counting of astrophysical sources and to Quantum Astronomy. This project is registered in the "Portale Schede Attività di Ricerca INAF" under the name "Fast Photon Counting Optical Astronomy" (FPC-OA).

The instruments

Two instruments were built, capable of achieving sub-nanosecond temporal accuracy in the optical band, AQUEYE+ (Asiago QUantum EYE) and IQUEYE (Italian QUantum EYE). They represent the world recognized leading astronomical instruments for the shortest time scales in visible light. They couple the ultra-high time resolution of Single Photon Avalanche Photodiode (SPAD) detectors with a split-pupil optical concept and a sophisticated timing system. The high quantum efficiency and low temporal jitter, the capability to time tag and store the arrival time of each individual photon with better than 100 ps relative time resolution (less than 0.5 ns absolute time accuracy with respect to UTC), and the possibility to bin the light curve in post-processing in arbitrary time intervals, give Aqueye+ and Iqueye unprecedented capabilities for performing timing studies in the optical band. AQUEYE+ is regularly mounted at the 1.8m Copernicus telescope and IQUEYE at the 1.2m Galileo telescope in Asiago. IQUEYE was mounted also at the NTT telescope in Chile, and at the WHT and TNG telescopes on the Roque (La Palma, Canary Islands). We started a technological program dedicated to interfacing the two instruments with the telescopes by means of optical fibers. IQUEYE is already successfully fiber-fed at the Galileo telescope by means of the Iqueye Fiber Interface (IFI).

Observing programmes