Bifrost: an ultra-low-cost cross-dispersed optical echelle spectrograph

Amanda J. Townsend; Stephen S. Eikenberry; Nicholas Barth; R. Deno Stelter; Sarik Jeram

doi:10.1117/12.2576278

13 December 2020 Bifrost: an ultra-low-cost cross-dispersed optical echelle spectrograph

Amanda J. Townsend, Stephen S. Eikenberry, Nicholas Barth, R. Deno Stelter, Sarik Jeram

Proceedings Volume 11447, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VIII; 1144747 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2576278
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2020, Online Only

Conference Poster

Abstract

For on the order of a thousand dollars, we designed and built a high-resolution (R~19,000) optical spectrograph covering 400-950nm, designed to observe bright targets with small telescopes. Innovative 3D printing methods allow us to accurately and cheaply mount and house inexpensive commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) optical components, including a DSLR camera lens. Bifrost is a fiber-fed spectrograph compatible with our existing and similarly inexpensive 3D-printed acquisition/guide system (compatible with a number of small telescopes, including the Meade LX200 series). A high resolution spectrograph with broadband coverage on a small telescope is optimal for cadence-sensitive spectroscopic variables; our targets of interest include high-mass X-ray binaries, ultra-magnetic stars, and the jets of the microquasar SS 433.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Amanda J. Townsend, Stephen S. Eikenberry, Nicholas Barth, R. Deno Stelter, and Sarik Jeram "Bifrost: an ultra-low-cost cross-dispersed optical echelle spectrograph", Proc. SPIE 11447, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VIII, 1144747 (13 December 2020); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2576278

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