Introduction to the 7-Dimensional Telescope

Abstract

As the main observational facility of Center for the Gravitational-Wave Universe at Seoul National University, the 7-Dimensional Telescope (7DT) is a multi-telescope system designed to identify electromagnetic (EM) counterparts of gravitational-wave (GW) sources. Consisting of 20 50-cm telescopes along with 40 medium-band filters of 25 nm full width at half maximum, 7DT can obtain spectral mapping images for a large field of view (∼1.25 square degrees). This multi-object spectral imaging capability along with flexible operation, real-time data reduction, and analysis enable 7DT to follow up GW events quickly and to discover EM counterparts with unmatched efficiency. 12 of the 20 planned telescopes are deployed at El Sauce Observatory located at Rio Hurtado Valley in Chile. Since we obtained the first light of 7DT in October 2023, we started its commissioning procedures including examination of bias levels, master flat production, and spectrophotometric standardization. In this talk, we present details of instruments and their set-up, commissioning procedures, and data characteristics of 7DT along with our three-layered surveys which are assumed to be initiated in early 2024. Show more