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CCD Cameras

Linearity and Saturation

Saturation and Linearity are closely related in CCD imaging and need to be managed. A CCD pixel begins an image essentially empty. As the photons are collected, the pixel well begins to fill. At some point, the pixel well will become saturated and unable to hold more photons. Prior to becoming saturated, the response of the CCD chip will change from Linear to non-linear. Both of these can have a negative impact on a science image and must be managed.

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