New Infrared Telescope Commissioned in China for Time-Domain Astronomy

The Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) 80 cm infrared telescope represents a significant advancement in China's astronomical capabilities, particularly in the field of time-domain astronomy. Located at the 4100 m Lenghu site on the Tibetan Plateau, the telescope is designed for near-infrared (NIR) observations and serves as a testbed for emerging NIR camera technologies. The telescope's initial configuration included a 640 x 512 InGaAs camera, which was later upgraded to a 1280 x 1024 science-grade, deeply cooled camera. This upgrade significantly improved the telescope's performance, allowing it to achieve background-limited performance with low dark current and readout noise. The telescope has already been used to observe a variety of astronomical objects, including gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, active galactic nuclei, and high-redshift quasars. Its ability to reach a limiting magnitude of J ~ 17 mag in single 20 s exposures and depths of J ~ 19.4 mag with stacked 30 minute exposures demonstrates its potential for deep-field imaging. The successful commissioning of the SYSU 80 cm infrared telescope validates the feasibility of using InGaAs cameras for astronomical observations and encourages other institutions to invest in similar technologies. This could lead to a wider adoption of infrared astronomy and new discoveries in the field.

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