KIPAC Tea: The First On-Sky Observations with Skipper CCDs

Abstract: The next generation of optical and near-infrared sky surveys seeks to access fainter and more distant astronomical objects. Achieving this goal requires advances in instrumentation to improve sensitivity in the low signal-to-noise regime. Skipper CCDs achieve sub-electron noise levels and single-photon counting by using a floating gate amplifier to enable multiple non-destructive measurements of the charge in each detector pixel. Skipper CCDs preserve the stability, linearity, high quantum efficiency, broad wavelength coverage, and radiation tolerance that have been established over decades of CCD development. I will present the development, testing, and first on-sky observations with Skipper CCDs.