Revolutionary CCD technology advancement

Post by **rcj** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 5:17 pm

Hi guys,

Just when the DSLR scene is getting interesting with new entries from Canon and Nikon, the astronomical CCD arena has seen a new alternative technology called 'Lucky Imaging' (i am not joking) whereby these L3CCD chips have zero readout noise and high gain. It is incorporating adaptive selection based on seeing to choose the sharpest images during the best conditions in a given imaging session. Basically, 'Lucky Imaging' employs a high speed camera where the best images can be chosen and that are least affected by atmoshpheric turbulence and combine the result to yield a higher resolution image than we would get by simply stacking ALL the images (as usual like we do now in DSO imaging). Think about it as a technology with REGISTAX kind of ranking and selection incorporated into the chip technology. Does it sound like vapourware? Well, currently Texas Instruments is already using this technology into their TC285 chips (1004x1002), as well as E2V Technologies.

Here is some information on 'Lucky Imaging':
http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~optics/Lucky_ ... /index.htm

And the following is a guide to L3CCD technology:
http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~optics/Lucky_ ... l3ccds.htm

Post by **weixing** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 9:35 pm

Hi,
Hmm... it's didn't mention that the CCD will "stacked" the image in the chip and seem like you still need to "stack" the images on a PC.

Have a nice day.

Post by **rcj** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 9:43 pm

there are further couple of white papers written by Simon Tulloch on the technology here:

http://www.ing.iac.es/~smt/LLLCCD/marcl3.htm

cataclysm · Post by **cataclysm** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 3:56 pm

One more reason not to buy any ccd at this time.

mrngbss · Post by **mrngbss** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 5:09 pm

Wait till the new type appears, maybe the CCDs will be more attractive to purchase.

universe24 · Post by **universe24** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 11:27 pm

With this new technology, everyone can snap better image than ever.

Tachyon · Post by **Tachyon** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 5:11 am

I dare not ask about the price!!

Post by **rcj** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 9:44 am

it seems the news is pretty wide spread now about Lucky Imaging. Even my colleagues are talking about it! hmmm....

kochu · Post by **kochu** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:50 am

Hi Remus,

The news got good coverage probably because it was published by BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6975961.stm

Kochu/6-9-07
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Post by **weixing** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 11:16 am

Hi,

The news got good coverage probably because it was published by BBC

Hmm... the report seem to confirm that "selection and stacking" is not done in the CCD itself, but an external software system... may be that's why it's call "Lucky System" and not "Lucky CCD".

Anyway, IMHO, this basically same as what we had already been doing with Registrax, but they had the new high speed and low noise CCD, large scale and fully automated... that is the different between "Amateur and Professional".

Have a nice day.