proto-Lightspeed: High-Speed Imager Commissioned at Magellan Clay Telescope

proto-Lightspeed is a new instrument designed for high-speed optical imaging with ultra-low read noise, commissioned at the Magellan Clay Telescope. Utilizing commercial re-imaging lenses and the ORCA-Quest 2 camera, it achieves deep sub-electron read noise and imaging rates up to 200 Hz for a 1' field of view, and even higher rates (up to 6600 Hz) for smaller, windowed fields. The instrument delivers seeing-limited image quality in the g', r', and i' bands, with adjustable magnification. proto-Lightspeed is well-suited for studying various rapidly variable sources, including compact binary systems, exoplanet transits, accretion events, pulsars, and occultations. Beginning in 2026B, it will be available as a P.I. instrument for members of the Magellan Consortium. The development of proto-Lightspeed represents a significant advancement in time-domain astronomy capabilities, enabling researchers to probe dynamic astronomical phenomena with unprecedented temporal resolution. Plans for a future facility instrument, Lightspeed, suggest further improvements and expanded capabilities are on the horizon.

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