The Automated Planet Finder (APF) is a dedicated, ground-based precision radial velocity facility located at Lick Observatory, operated by University of California Observatories (UCO), atop Mt. Hamilton in California. The 2.4-m telescope and accompanying high-resolution echelle spectrograph were specifically designed for the purpose of detecting planets in the liquid water habitable zone of low-mass stars. The telescope is operated every night (weather permitting) to achieve meaningful signal-to-noise gains from high cadence observing and to avoid the aliasing problems inherent to planets whose periods are close to the lunar month.

To take full advantage of the consistent influx of data it is necessary to analyze each night's results before
designing the next evening's target list. To address this requirement, we are in the process of developing a fully automated reduction pipeline that will take each night's data from raw FITS files to final radial velocity values and integrate those values into a master database. The database is then accessed by the publicly available Systemic console, a general-purpose software package for the analysis and combined multiparameter fitting of Doppler radial velocity observations. As each stellar system is updated, Systemic evaluates the probability that a planetary signal is present in the data, and uses this value, along with other considerations such as the star's brightness and chromospheric activity level, to assign it a priority rating for future observations. When the telescope is once again on sky it determines the optimal targets to observe in real time using an in-house dynamic scheduler.

Achieving autonomous data flow of the Automated Planet Finder (APF)

We report initial performance results emerging from 600 h of observations with the Automated Planet Finder (APF) telescope and Levy spectrometer located at UCO/Lick Observatory. We have obtained multiple spectra of 80 G, K, and M-type stars, which comprise 4954 individual Doppler radial velocity (RV) measurements with a median internal uncertainty of 1.35  ms−1. We find a strong, expected correlation between the number of photons accumulated in the 5000 to 6200 Å iodine region of the spectrum and the resulting internal uncertainty estimates. Additionally, we find an offset between the population of G and K stars and the M stars within the dataset when comparing these parameters. As a consequence of their increased spectral line densities, M-type stars permit the same level of internal uncertainty with 2× fewer photons than G-type and K-type stars. When observing M stars, we show that the APF/Levy has essentially the same speed-on-sky as Keck/high resolution echelle spectrometer (HIRES) for precision RVs. In the interest of using the APF for long-duration RV surveys, we have designed and implemented a dynamic scheduling algorithm. We discuss the operation of the scheduler, which monitors ambient conditions and combines on-sky information with a database of survey targets to make intelligent, real-time targeting decisions.

/pdf/capabilities-and-performance-of-the-automated-planet-finder-3ikxn4wpsl.pdf

Capabilities and performance of the Automated Planet Finder telescope with the implementation of a dynamic scheduler

By July 2014, the Automated Planet Finder (APF) at Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton will have completed its first year of operation. This facility combines a modern 2.4m computer-controlled telescope with a flexible development environment that enables efficient use of the Levy Spectrometer for high cadence observations. The Levy provides both sub-meter per second radial velocity precision and high efficiency, with a peak total system throughput of 24%. The modern telescope combined with efficient spectrometer routinely yields over 100 observations of 40 stars in a single night, each of which has velocity errors of 0.7 to 1.4 meters per second, all with typical seeing of < 1 arc second full-width-half-maximum (FWHM). The whole observing process is automated using a common application programming interface (API) for inter-process communication which allows scripting to be done in a variety of languages (Python, Tcl, bash, csh, etc.) The flexibility and ease-of-use of the common API allowed the science teams to be directly involved in the automation of the observing process, ensuring that the facility met their requirements. Since November 2013, the APF has been routinely conducting autonomous observations without human intervention.

/pdf/the-automated-planet-finder-at-lick-observatory-cnjaay8ax7.pdf

The automated planet finder at Lick Observatory

Just as the 2.4 meter Automated Planet Finder (APF) commenced its final shakedown, three significant events occurred: uncontrolled telescope oscillations while tracking, liquidation of the telescope vendor’s primary facility, and the expiration of the vendor warranty. Left with scant documentation, few external resources to draw upon, and limited direct local expertise, University of California Observatories (UCO) embarked on an initiative to stabilize the telescope control system at a minimal internal cost. This paper covers the problems encountered, our solutions, and the compromises made when the budget could not support a complete remedy. Specific topics include: measurement and alignment of linear encoder signals, and custom electronics developed to enable precise alignment of the read heads and adjustment of the interpolation electronics; the use of sensitive accelerometers to isolate and diagnose sources of vibration, and to provide immediate feedback on the stability of the servo tuning; procedures used to adjust the servo control loop, and the observable effects of parameter adjustments; assessment and validation of the performance on-sky.

Tuning a 2.4-meter telescope... blindfolded

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Tuning a 2.4-meter telescope... blindfolded