Adapting the Super-LOTIS optical telescope for ground-based NUV observations of transients

Transient events exhibit strong UV radiation, but transient activity is not well studied in the UV. Ground-based telescopes have an untapped potential to support space-based UV observations of transients, down to the atmospheric cutoff of roughly 320 nm. The Super-LOTIS (Livermore Optical Transient Imaging System) telescope is the first ground-based optical telescope that is being converted for NUV transient science. It will follow up on transient targets identified by the Swift/UVOT instrument, ground-based robotic transient finders, and future space-based missions. It will also have the capacity to conduct its own observations. The development of the Super-LOTIS telescope will provide a model for future ground-based UV surveys. In this paper, we report on the progress to modify the existing camera optics to use a new NUV sensitive camera and filter system.