Fast wavefront sensing with new APD detector arrays

The worldwide focus on the concept of Space Situational Awareness (SSA) has come to the forefront in recent*years, encompassing everything from near Earth objects (NEO) such as asteroids to man-made orbital debris, to*the area of monitoring the security of valuable space assets. After being an active observer for some years,*Canada recently became a full member of the Inter-Agency Space Debris committee. Canada has also recently*signed, along with Australia, the U.K., and the USA, the Space Situational Awareness Accord. This will allow*for coordinated use of each partner's space capabilities for identifying and understanding objects in space. The*shared resources could provide continuous monitoring and authentication and validation via complementary*coverage especially for critical situations.*Honeywell has identified an opportunity to expand their company by integrating new detection technologies*into their cameras, and specifically using the APD arrays which Chapman's group at Dalhousie has expertise in.*Two emerging technologies have been a focus of the HONEYWELL AEROSPACE International Systems*division, but they do not have the capability to pursue a very promising third technology, APD arrays.*We propose to the Engage program to work with Honeywell Aerospace over the our joint pursuit of leading*technologies to address these issues, with our own value added applications in astronomy as an additional*motivator to this research.*To facilitate a detailed understanding of a leading technology for these applications (detector arrays of*Avalanche Photo-Diodes -- APDs), we will analyze and characterize these devices, providing the needed*parameters on the detectors to Honeywell Aerospace such that they can assess the viability of this technology.