ACS Insturment Handbook for Cycle 24

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3.2	Instrument Capabilities

 

Please check for updates on the ACS website.

ACS is a versatile instrument with a broad range of scientific capabilities:

•	deep, wide-field imaging from visible to near-IR wavelengths (March 2002 to present).

•	high spatial resolution imaging from near-UV to near-IR wavelengths (March 2002 to January 2007).

•	solar blind UV imaging (March 2002 to present).

ACS was built with three channels, each optimized for a specific goal:

•	Wide Field Channel (WFC): 202 x 202 arcsecond field of view from ~3500 å to 11,000 å, and peak efficiency of 48% (including the Optical Telescope Assembly (OTA)). The plate scale of ~0.05 arcseconds/pixel provides critical sampling at 11,600 å.

•	High Resolution Channel (HRC): 29 x 26 arcsecond field of view from ~1700 å to 11,000 å, and peak efficiency of 29%. The plate scale of ~0.027 arcseconds/pixel provided critical sampling at 6300 å. HRC is no longer operational.

•	Solar Blind Channel (SBC): 34.6 x 30.5 arcsecond field of view from 1150 å to 1700 å, plate scale of ~0.032 arcseconds/pixel, and peak efficiency of 7.5%.

In addition to its primary capabilities listed above, ACS has also provided:

•	Grism spectroscopy: Low resolution (R ~100 @ 8000 å) wide field spectroscopy from 5500 å to 10,500 å with WFC (and HRC before January 2007).

•	Prism spectroscopy: low resolution (R ~100 @ 1500 å) far-UV spectroscopy from 1250 å to 1800 å with SBC (and low resolution (R = 59 @ 2500 å) near-UV spectroscopy from 1700 å to 3900 å with HRC before January 2007).

•	Imaging Polarimetry: polarimetric imaging with WFC (and HRC before January 2007) with relative polarization angles of 0°, 60°, and 120°.

•	Coronagraphy (before January 2007): aberrated beam coronagraphy with HRC from 2000 å to 11,000 å with 1.8 arcsecond and 3.0 arcsecond diameter occulting spots.