KASINICS: Near infrared camera system for the BOAO 1.8 m telescope

We developed Korea Astronomy and Space science Institute (KASI) Near Infrared Camera System (KASINICS) to be installed on the 1.8 m telescope of Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory (BOAO) in Korea. We use a 512 × 512 InSb array (Aladdin III Quadrant, Raytheon Co.) to enable L band observations as well as J, H, and K_s bands. The field-of-view of the array is 3′.3 × 3′.3 with a resolution of 0″.39/pixel. We adopt an Offner relay optical system, which provides a cold stop to eliminate thermal background emission from the telescope structures. Most parts of the camera, including the mirrors, were manufactured from the same ingot of aluminum alloy to ensure a homologous contraction from room temperature to 80 K. We also developed a readout electronics system for the array detector. Based on preliminary results from test observations, the limiting magnitudes are J = 17.6, H = 17.5, K_s = 16.1, and L(narrow) = 10.0mag at a signal-to-noise ratio of 10 for an integration time of 100s.