Contact Information

Research Interests

Working as part of the Galway Astronomical Stokes Polarimeter (GASP) research team.

Current work is based on optimising the calibration of Low Light Level CCD cameras for the photon counting regime. They will be used to detect polarimtric signatures of rapidly varying astronomical tragets using the GASP instrument.

Other research includes working with APD detectors and  the development of control hardware and data processing software. These detectors lie at the heart of a ultra high speed detector system that can also be used for the GASP instrument as well as a general astronomical photometer system.

Key/recent publications

Title:    
    The Galway astronomical Stokes polarimeter: optical development
Authors:    
    Collins, P.; Redfern, M.; Shearer, A.; Sheehan, B.
Publication:    
    API'09 - First NanoCharM Workshop on Advanced Polarimetric Instrumentation, Palaiseau, France,  EPJ Web of Conferences, Volume 5, id.05001
Publication Date:  06/2010

Title:    
    GASP-Galway astronomical Stokes polarimeter
Authors:    
    Kyne, G.; Sheehan, B.; Collins, P.; Redfern, M.; Shearer, A.
Publication:    
    API'09 - First NanoCharM Workshop on Advanced Polarimetric Instrumentation, Palaiseau, France,  EPJ Web of Conferences, Volume 5, id.05003

Publication Date: 06/2010

Title:    
    Design, Construction and Calibration Of The Galway Astronomical Stokes Polarimeter (GASP)
Authors:    
    Collins, Patrick; Redfern, R. Micheal; Sheehan, Brendan
Publication:    

    HIGH TIME RESOLUTION ASTROPHYSICS: The Universe at Sub-Second Timescales. AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 984, pp. 241-246 (2008).

Publication Date: 02/2008 

Title:    
    Optimised Post-Exposure Image Sharpening Code for L3-CCD Detectors
Authors:    
    Harding, Leon K.; Butler, Raymond F.; Redfern, R. Michael; Sheehan, Brendan J.; McDonald, James
Publication:    
    HIGH TIME RESOLUTION ASTROPHYSICS: The Universe at Sub-Second Timescales. AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 984

Publication Date: 02/2008

Title:    
    The superiority of L3-CCDs in the high-flux and wide dynamic range regimes
Authors:    
    Butler, Raymond F.; Sheehan, Brendan J.
Publication:    
    HIGH TIME RESOLUTION ASTROPHYSICS: The Universe at Sub-Second Timescales. AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 984

Publication Date: 02/2008

Title:    
    Development and use of an L3CCD high-cadence imaging system for Optical Astronomy
Authors:    
    Sheehan, Brendan J.; Butler, Raymond F.
Publication:    
    HIGH TIME RESOLUTION ASTROPHYSICS: The Universe at Sub-Second Timescales. AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 984

Publication Date: 02/2008

Title:    
    Performance modeling and development of an L3-CCD camera system for high cadence imaging with maximum efficiency
Authors:    
    Sheehan, Brendan J.; Lane, Caoilfhionn; Butler, Raymond F.
Publication:    
    Space Telescopes and Instrumentation I: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter. Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 6265

Publication Date: 07/2006 

Title:    
    An ETC and Image Simulation Suite for any ground based Camera & Telescope
Authors:    
    Sheehan, B.; Lane, C.; Butler, R.
Publication:    
    Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems XV ASP Conference Series, Vol. 351

Publication Date: 07/2006   

Teaching responsibilities

Supervisor of 1st & 2nd Year Physics Labs (2004-2009)