MOONS is the Multi-Object Optical and Near-IR Spectrograph to be mounted at a Nasmyth focus at the Very Large Telescope. The instrument is equipped with 1000 fibres configured over a field of view of ~500 square arcmin using theta-phi fibre positioning units (FPUs). The MOONS metrology system must accurately determine the position of the fibres in the focal plate, providing fast feedback to the instrument control software during operations. The returned fibre positions can be used for calibrations of the FPUs or fast system recovery after a power loss. If required, the system can also be used for calculating fine adjustments of the fibre positions during acquisition. In this paper, a description of the system design, implementation, and testing in the MOONS focal plate are provided. The presented system has high potential for adaptation to a variety of astronomical instrument applications during integration, testing, and operation stages.
Accurate positioning of opto-mechanical elements in the focal plane of large telescopes is a challenging requirements for many state of the art observational scientific applications. In particular high multiplexing multi object spectroscopy requires precise metrology tools for performing efficient observations and calibrations of the instruments. We have developed a metrology system based on modified commercial off-the-shelf components to reach high performances with a cost effective solution. Our system is based on the photogrammetry technique and on a number of fixed off-axis cameras. The cameras acquire images of the focal plane where metrology targets and references are located. The acquisition is based on Odroid-XU4, a single-board computer running on GNU/Linux. No moving parts in the setup ensures an extremely fast acquisition of the data. The calibration and metrology data processing is based on the computer vision library OpenCV. We present a prototype system and results of the camera calibrations and metrology tests obtained in our laboratory.
The Multi Object Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph (MOONS) instrument is the next generation multi-object spectrograph for the Very Large Telescope (VLT). The instrument combines the high multiplexing capability offered by 1000 optical fibres deployed by individual robotic positioners with a novel spectrograph able to provide both low- and high-resolution spectroscopy simultaneously across the wavelength range 0.64μm - 1.8μm. Powered by the collecting area of the 8-m VLT, MOONS will provide the astronomical community with a world-leading facility able to serve a wide range of Galactic, Extragalactic and Cosmological studies. This paper provides an updated overview of the instrument and its construction progress, reporting on the ongoing integration phase.
VERMILION is a VLTI visitor instrument project intended to extend the sensitivity and the spectral coverage of Optical Long Baseline Interferometry (OLBIn). It is based on a new concept of Fringe Tracker (VERMILIONFT) combined with a J band spectro-interferometer (VERMILION-J). The Fringe Tracker is the Adaptive Optics module specific to OLBIn that measures and corrects in real time the Optical Path Difference (OPD) perturbations introduced by the atmosphere and the interferometer, by providing a sensitivity gain of 2 to 3 magnitudes over all other state of the art fringe trackers. The J band spectro-interferometer will provide all interferometric measurements as a function of wavelength. In addition to a possible synergy with MATISSE, VERMILION-J, by observing at high spectral resolution many strong lines in J (Paβ-γ, HeII, TiO and other metallic monoxides), will cover several scientific topics, e.g. Exoplanets, YSOs, Binaries, Active Hot, Evolved stars, Asteroseismology, and also AGNs.
We are developing an optical adaptive optics (AO) system for small telescopes. An AO instrument in optical wavelength mounted on a 1-2 m class telescope located at a good seeing site will make it possible to achieve high angular resolution of 0.1-0.2 arcsec. Such capability will enable us to perform unique astronomical programs, as well as to provide good opportunity in education for both astronomy and engineering. In order to examine the AO capability on small telescopes, we developed an experimental AO instrument, in which inexpensive commercial devices are extensively used to reduce cost for development. We designed the weight and the physical size so small that it is portable and easy to be mounted on a small telescope, which is a unique feature of our AO instrument. After the engineering observations performed in Japan, we mounted it on the 1-m telescope of the European Southern Observatory of La Silla in Chile in March 2018 to examine the performance. We found that there were approximately 4 times and 5 times improvements in the full-width-halfmaximum (FWHM) and Strehl ratio of the PSF from the natural seeing, respectively. The best AO-corrected PSF obtained during the observation achieved FWHM=0.18 arcsec and the Strehl ratio = 0.18. Based on the detailed analysis of the timeseries wavefront and deformable-mirror-operation data, further improvement in AO performance is expected by adjustment of the system parameters. We succeeded in demonstrating the feasibility of an inexpensive optical AO system for small telescopes.
KEYWORDS: Spectrographs, New and emerging technologies, Velocity measurements, Single mode fibers, Adaptive optics, Near infrared, Cameras, Sensors, Optical design, Relays
Small diameter single-mode fiber (SMF) allows for the design of compact spectrographs that operate at the diffraction limit. The small instrument scale, in turn, allows cost-effective configuration flexibility to use the instrument as a testbed for infrared SMF spectrograph technologies. The same base instrument could be coupled to different adaptive optics (AO) and non-AO SMF feeds. We present the build for such a spectrograph, Iranti, which works in the near-infrared (NIR) range and incorporates novel techniques. Our implementation of this instrument has sufficient cross dispersion to allow testing of a range of input fiber links, including multiple fibers or multi-core fibers (MCFs); the camera optics and detector can also be swapped out easily for different wavelength ranges. The base system uses a white pupil design that relays a slow beam between the collimator, an R6 echelle grating with 13.33 lines/mm and a volume phase holographic grating (VPH) as a cross disperser. In Iranti, we also address mechanical and thermal considerations to improve stability in the instrument. We configure the instrument for ranges in 800 to 1300 nm and characterize system efficiency and stability.
HIRES is the high-resolution spectrograph of the European Extremely Large Telescope at optical and near-infrared wavelengths. It consists of three fibre-fed spectrographs providing a wavelength coverage of 0.4-1.8 µm (goal 0.35-2.4 µm) at a spectral resolution of 100,000. The fibre-feeding allows HIRES to have several, interchangeable observing modes including a SCAO module and a small diffraction-limited IFU in the NIR. Therefore, it will be able to operate both in seeing- and diffraction-limited modes. Its modularity will ensure that HIRES can be placed entirely on the Nasmyth platform, if enough mass and volume is available, or part on the Nasmyth and part in the Coud`e room. ELT-HIRES has a wide range of science cases spanning nearly all areas of research in astrophysics and even fundamental physics. Among the top science cases there are the detection of biosignatures from exoplanet atmospheres, finding the fingerprints of the first generation of stars (PopIII), tests on the stability of Nature’s fundamental couplings, and the direct detection of the cosmic acceleration. The HIRES consortium is composed of more than 30 institutes from 14 countries, forming a team of more than 200 scientists and engineers.
The Multi Object Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph (MOONS) instrument is the next generation multi-object spectrograph for the VLT. This powerful instrument will combine for the first time: the large collecting power of the VLT with a high multipexing capability offered by 1000 optical fibres moved with individual robotic positioners and a novel, very fast spectrograph able to provide both low- and high-resolution spectroscopy simultaneously across the wavelength range 0.64μm - 1.8μm. Such a facility will provide the astronomical community with a powerful, world-leading instrument able to serve a wide range of Galactic, Extragalactic and Cosmological studies. Th final assembly, integration and verification phase of the instrument is now about to start performance testing.
After completion of its final-design review last year, it is full steam ahead for the construction of the MOONS instrument - the next generation multi-object spectrograph for the VLT. This remarkable instrument will combine for the first time: the 8 m collecting power of the VLT, 1000 optical fibres with individual robotic positioners and both medium- and high-resolution spectral coverage acreoss the wavelength range 0.65μm - 1.8 μm. Such a facility will allow a veritable host of Galactic, Extragalactic and Cosmological questions to be addressed. In this paper we will report on the current status of the instrument, details of the early testing of key components and the major milestones towards its delivery to the telescope.
Ever more precise radial velocity instruments are needed to observe potential earth-like exoplanet targets that are beyond the range of current generation high resolution echelle spectrographs. Meanwhile, extreme adaptive optics systems at 8 meter class facilities have made ground based observations possible at the diffraction limit. In the field of Doppler spectroscopy, one way to take advantage of these AO capabilities is by the development of ultra-stable single mode fiber fed spectrographs.1 Coupling the light efficiently into SMFs with an extreme adaptive optics system offers significant advantage in removing modal noise, reducing instrument size, enabling superior environmental control and curbing cost. We report the design and challenges in building an ultra-stable spectrograph for the near infrared range. The design wavelength range is 650 to 1500 nm.
We present the results from the phase A study of ELT-HIRES, an optical-infrared High Resolution Spectrograph for ELT, which has just been completed by a consortium of 30 institutes from 12 countries forming a team of about 200 scientists and engineers. The top science cases of ELT-HIRES will be the detection of life signatures from exoplanet atmospheres, tests on the stability of Nature’s fundamental couplings, the direct detection of the cosmic acceleration. However, the science requirements of these science cases enable many other groundbreaking science cases. The baseline design, which allows to fulfil the top science cases, consists in a modular fiber- fed cross-dispersed echelle spectrograph with two ultra-stable spectral arms providing a simultaneous spectral range of 0.4-1.8 μm at a spectral resolution of ~100,000. The fiber-feeding allows ELT-HIRES to have several, interchangeable observing modes including a SCAO module and a small diffraction-limited IFU.
Current and upcoming massive astronomical surveys are expected to discover a torrent of objects, which need groundbased follow-up observations to characterize their nature. For transient objects in particular, rapid early and efficient spectroscopic identification is needed. In particular, a small-field Integral Field Unit (IFU) would mitigate traditional slit losses and acquisition time. To this end, we present the design of a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) multi-purpose spectrograph camera capable of running in several modes: traditional longslit, small-field patrol IFU, multi-object and full-field IFU mode via Hadamard spectra reconstruction. AIUC Optical multi-purpose CAMera (AIUCOCAM) is a low-resolution spectrograph camera of R~1,600 covering the spectral range of 0.45-0.85 μm. We employ a VPH grating as a disperser, which is removable to allow an imaging mode. This spectrograph is envisioned for use on a 1-2 m class telescope in Chile to take advantage of good site conditions. We present design decisions and challenges for a costeffective robotized spectrograph. The resulting instrument is remarkably versatile, capable of addressing a wide range of scientific topics.
The Multi-Object Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph (MOONS) will cover the Very Large Telescope's (VLT) field of view with 1000 fibres. The fibres will be mounted on fibre positioning units (FPU) implemented as two-DOF robot arms to ensure a homogeneous coverage of the 500 square arcmin field of view. To accurately and fast determine the position of the 1000 fibres a metrology system has been designed. This paper presents the hardware and software design and performance of the metrology system. The metrology system is based on the analysis of images taken by a circular array of 12 cameras located close to the VLTs derotator ring around the Nasmyth focus. The system includes 24 individually adjustable lamps. The fibre positions are measured through dedicated metrology targets mounted on top of the FPUs and fiducial markers connected to the FPU support plate which are imaged at the same time. A flexible pipeline based on VLT standards is used to process the images. The position accuracy was determined to ~5 μm in the central region of the images. Including the outer regions the overall positioning accuracy is ~25 μm. The MOONS metrology system is fully set up with a working prototype. The results in parts of the images are already excellent. By using upcoming hardware and improving the calibration it is expected to fulfil the accuracy requirement over the complete field of view for all metrology cameras.
The first generation of E-ELT instruments will include an optic-infrared High Resolution Spectrograph, conventionally indicated as EELT-HIRES, which will be capable of providing unique breakthroughs in the fields of exoplanets, star and planet formation, physics and evolution of stars and galaxies, cosmology and fundamental physics. A 2-year long phase A study for EELT-HIRES has just started and will be performed by a consortium composed of institutes and organisations from Brazil, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom. In this paper we describe the science goals and the preliminary technical concept for EELT-HIRES which will be developed during the phase A, as well as its planned development and consortium organisation during the study.
We present the design for a high resolution near-infrared spectrograph. It is fed by a single-mode fiber coupled to a high performance adaptive optics system, leading to an extremely stable instrument with high total efficiency. The optical design is a cross-dispersed Echelle spectrograph based on a white pupil layout. The instrument uses a R6 Echelle grating with 13.3 grooves per mm, enabling very high resolution with a small beam diameter. The optical design is diffraction limited to enable optimal performance; this leads to subtle differences compared to spectrographs with large input slits.
The current instrumentation plan for the E-ELT foresees a High Resolution Spectrograph conventionally indicated as
HIRES. Shaped on the study of extra-solar planet atmospheres, Pop-III stars and fundamental physical constants, HIRES
is intended to embed observing modes at high-resolution (up to R=150000) and large spectral range (from the blue limit to the K band) useful for a large suite of science cases that can exclusively be tackled by the E-ELT. We present in this
paper the solution for HIRES envisaged by the "HIRES initiative", the international collaboration established in 2013 to
pursue a HIRES on E-ELT.
The Multi-Object Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph (MOONS) is a new fiber-fed spectrograph for the VLT. MOONS will exploit the full 500 square arcmin field of view offered by the Nasmyth focus of VLT and will be equipped with two dual-arm spectrographs covering the wavelength range 0.8 µm-1.8 μm, with a possible extension down to 0.5 μm. Each double-arm spectrograph will produce spectra for 250 targets simultaneously, each with its own dedicated sky fiber for optimal sky subtraction. The system will have both a medium resolution (R 3000 - 5000) mode and a high resolution (R 20000) mode to allow detailed dynamical and chemical studies. To ensure the accurate positioning of the 500 fiber pairs over the focal plane that has 880 mm in diameter, a metrology system has been designed to provide position measurements within 7.5 μm considering that the final positioning accuracy of each fiber with respect to the target object must be less than 15 μm. The metrology system is composed by a circular array of 12 cameras located at VLT’s de-rotator ring around the Nasmyth focus. The paper presents the design of the metrology system and discusses the proposed methodology to align multiple the views of the focal plane array.
FIDEOS (FIbre Dual Echelle Optical Spectrograph) is a fibre-fed bench-mounted high-resolution echelle spec- trograph for the 1-m telescope at ESO in La Silla, Chile. It is based on a 44.41 lines/mm 70° blaze angle
echelle grating in quasi-Littrow mode, providing spectral resolution of R ~ 42 000, covering the spectral range from 400 nm to 680 nm. The detector is a 2k×2k CCD with 15 μm pixels. The spectrograph will be fed by two 50
µm core diameter fibres for the astronomical object and the simultaneous calibration lamp, respectively. Alter- natively, an iodine cell will be mounted on the telescope-spectrograph interface, providing a secondary spectral calibration source. In addition, the instrument will be mounted on a fixed optical-bench without movable parts rather than the CCD shutter and its enclosure will be thermally controlled to ensure opto-mechanical stability. Since the FIDEOS will deliver high resolution and spectral stability, it will be optimized for precision radial velocities.
KEYWORDS: Sensors, Telescopes, Near infrared, Control systems, Observatories, Astronomy, Signal detection, Interference (communication), Stars, Spectrographs
ARNICA and LonGSp are two NICMOS based near infrared instruments developed in the 90's by the Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri. After more than 10 years from decommissioning we refurbished the two instruments
with a new read-out electronics and control software. We present the performances of the refurbished systems
and compare them with the historic behavior. Both instruments are currently used for testing purposes in the
Lab and at the telescope, we present some example applications.
MOONS is a new Multi-Object Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph selected by ESO as a third generation
instrument for the Very Large Telescope (VLT). The grasp of the large collecting area offered by the VLT (8.2m
diameter), combined with the large multiplex and wavelength coverage (optical to near-IR: 0.8μm - 1.8μm) of MOONS
will provide the European astronomical community with a powerful, unique instrument able to pioneer a wide range of
Galactic, Extragalactic and Cosmological studies and provide crucial follow-up for major facilities such as Gaia,
VISTA, Euclid and LSST. MOONS has the observational power needed to unveil galaxy formation and evolution over
the entire history of the Universe, from stars in our Milky Way, through the redshift desert, and up to the epoch of very
first galaxies and re-ionization of the Universe at redshift z>8-9, just few million years after the Big Bang. On a
timescale of 5 years of observations, MOONS will provide high quality spectra for >3M stars in our Galaxy and the
local group, and for 1-2M galaxies at z>1 (SDSS-like survey), promising to revolutionise our understanding of the
Universe.
The baseline design consists of ~1000 fibers deployable over a field of view of ~500 square arcmin, the largest patrol
field offered by the Nasmyth focus at the VLT. The total wavelength coverage is 0.8μm-1.8μm and two resolution
modes: medium resolution and high resolution. In the medium resolution mode (R~4,000-6,000) the entire wavelength
range 0.8μm-1.8μm is observed simultaneously, while the high resolution mode covers simultaneously three selected
spectral regions: one around the CaII triplet (at R~8,000) to measure radial velocities, and two regions at R~20,000 one
in the J-band and one in the H-band, for detailed measurements of chemical abundances.
MOONS is a new conceptual design for a Multi-Object Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph for the Very Large
Telescope (VLT), selected by ESO for a Phase A study. The baseline design consists of ~1000 fibers deployable over a
field of view of ~500 square arcmin, the largest patrol field offered by the Nasmyth focus at the VLT. The total
wavelength coverage is 0.8μm-1.8μm and two resolution modes: medium resolution and high resolution. In the medium
resolution mode (R~4,000-6,000) the entire wavelength range 0.8μm-1.8μm is observed simultaneously, while the high
resolution mode covers simultaneously three selected spectral regions: one around the CaII triplet (at R~8,000) to
measure radial velocities, and two regions at R~20,000 one in the J-band and one in the H-band, for detailed
measurements of chemical abundances.
The grasp of the 8.2m Very Large Telescope (VLT) combined with the large multiplex and wavelength coverage of
MOONS – extending into the near-IR – will provide the observational power necessary to study galaxy formation and
evolution over the entire history of the Universe, from our Milky Way, through the redshift desert and up to the epoch
of re-ionization at z<8-9. At the same time, the high spectral resolution mode will allow astronomers to study chemical
abundances of stars in our Galaxy, in particular in the highly obscured regions of the Bulge, and provide the necessary
follow-up of the Gaia mission. Such characteristics and versatility make MOONS the long-awaited workhorse near-IR
MOS for the VLT, which will perfectly complement optical spectroscopy performed by FLAMES and VIMOS.
We present the optical concept and design of a fiber-fed echelle spectrograph for precise radial velocity measurements in the near-infrared. The spectrograph is designed to achieve a nominal resolution λ/Δλ of the order of 40000 and to cover the range from 0.9μm to 1.7μm in a single exposure. This spectrum is to be recorded on a 2048×2048 infrared detector. The instrument is designed to be mounted at 1 to 2 m class telescopes for survey purposes. We present in the optical design and the instrument capability. We do emphasis particularly on optical aberrations and thus discuss the instrument expected limitations from the optical viewpoint.
MOONS is a new conceptual design for a multi-object spectrograph for the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT)
which will provide the ESO astronomical community with a powerful, unique instrument able to serve a wide
range of Galactic, Extragalactic and Cosmological studies. The instrument foresees 1000 fibers which can be
positioned on a field of view of 500 square-arcmin. The sky-projected diameter of each fiber is at least 1 arcsec
and the wavelengths coverage extends from 0.8 to 1.8 μm.
This paper presents and discusses the design of the spectrometer, a task which is allocated to the Italian National
Institute of Astrophysics (INAF).
The baseline design consists of two identical cryogenic spectrographs. Each instrument collects the light from
over 500 fibers and feeds, through dichroics, 3 spectrometers covering the "I" (0.79-0.94 μm), "YJ" (0.94-1.35
μm) and "H" (1.45-1.81 μm) bands.
The low resolution mode provides a complete spectrum with a resolving power ranging from R'4,000 in the
YJ-band, to R'6,000 in the H-band and R'8,000 in the I-band. A higher resolution mode with R'20,000 is
also included. It simultaneously covers two selected spectral regions within the J and H bands.
The main telescope of the UC Observatory Santa Martina is a 50cm optical telescope donated by ESO to Pontificia
Universidad Catolica de Chile. During the past years the telescope has been refurbished and used as the main facility for
testing and validating new instruments under construction by the center of Astro-Engineering UC. As part of this work,
the need to develop a more efficient and flexible control system arises. The new distributed control system has been
developed on top of Internet Communication Engine (ICE), a framework developed by Zeroc Inc. This framework
features a lightweight but powerful and flexible inter-process communication infrastructure and provides binding to
classic and modern programming languages, such as, C/C++, java, c#, ruby-rail, objective c, etc. The result of this work
shows ICE as a real alternative for CORBA and other de-facto distribute programming framework. Classical control
software architecture has been chosen and comprises an observation control system (OCS), the orchestrator of the
observation, which controls the telescope control system (TCS), and detector control system (DCS). The real-time
control and monitoring system is deployed and running over ARM based single board computers. Other features such as
logging and configuration services have been developed as well. Inter-operation with other main astronomical control
frameworks are foreseen in order achieve a smooth integration of instruments when they will be integrated in the main
observatories in the north of Chile
We present the design of an echelle spectrograph based on commercially available components. This instrument
is an ideal solution to equip small telescopes with low cost but scientifically effective instrumentation. The
spectrograph is fiber fed, reaches a resolution of about 8,000, can be located in a gravity invariant and thermally
controlled environment and can be used for the long term spectroscopic monitoring of bright objects. The optical
design and performances of the instrument are analyzed using Zemax, we present an option for the mechanical
design too.
PUCHEROS is a high resolution optical Echelle spectrograph designed for the 50 cm telescope located at the
Pontificia Universidad Cat´olica de Chile (PUC) observatory of Santa Martina. With a resolution about 20,000,
PUCHEROS is an ideal instrument to study bright and variable objects, our driving science case is the study
of bright early type stars. Using a fiber optic to bring the light from the telescope to the instrument, it can be
located in a gravity invariant, temperature stabilized location, allowing precise long-term stability. PUCHEROS
will be a valuable tool both for research and didactics at the graduate and undergraduate level. In this work we
present the optical and mechanical design of the spectrograph as well as the first laboratory tests.
SIMPLE is an optimized near IR echelle spectrograph for the E-ELT assisted by adaptive optics. It delivers a complete
0.84-2.5μm spectrum in one exposure with resolution up to R=130,000, nearly diffraction limited pixel scale and
limiting magnitudes down to JHK~20. Its most prominent science cases include the study of the intergalactic medium in
the early Universe (z>6) and of the atmospheres of exo-planet transiting nearby low mass stars.
GIANO-TNG is a cryogenic cross-dispersed spectrometer designed to operate at near IR wavelengths (0.9-2.5 μm)
achieving a resolving power of R approximately equal to 50,000 and covering most of the spectral range in a single exposure. The core
of its optical system consists of a 3-mirror anastigmat (TMA) used in double pass, which acts both as collimator
and camera. Thanks to its all-mirrors design, the system is intrinsically achromatic and can be conveniently
aligned at optical wavelengths. This papers describes the procedure followed and the results obtained for the
alignment of the optics of this instrument.
The ESO Paranal observatory is operating a heterogeneous set of science detectors. The maintenance and
quality control of science detectors is an important routine task to retain the technical and science performance
of the instrumentation. In 2006 a detector monitoring working group was built devoted with the following tasks:
inventory of the currently existing detector calibration plans and monitored quality characteristics, completion
and homogenization of the detector calibrations plans, design and implementation of cross-instrument applicable
templates and data reduction pipeline recipes and monitoring tools.
The instrument calibration plans include monthly and daily scheduled detector calibrations. The monthly
calibrations are to measure linearity, contamination and gain including the inter-pixel capacitance correction
factor. A reference recipe has been defined to be applicable to all operational VLT instruments and has been
tested on archive calibration frames for optical, near- and mid-infrared science detectors. The daily calibrations
measure BIAS or DARK level and read-out noise in different ways. This has until now prevented cross
detector comparison of performance values. The upgrade of the daily detector calibration plan consists of the
homogenization of the measurement method in the existing pipeline recipes.
The ESO's VISIR instrument at Paranal is dedicated to observations in two mid-infrared (MIR) atmospheric
windows: N-band (8-13 micron) and Q-band (16.5-24.5 micron). It is equipped with two DRS (formerly Boeing)
256 × 256 BIB detectors operating at temperatures of about 5 K. As in case of other Paranal instruments
VISIR data are regularly transferred to ESO Garching within the standard data flow operation. There, they are
classified and pipeline-processed. The products of VISIR technical data are analyzed in order to trend instrument
performance, while calibrations and science data are checked for quality and later distributed to the users. Over
the three years of VISIR operations we have been constantly gaining more experience in methods of assessing
health of the instrument. In particular, we found that dark frames are particularly useful for monitoring the
VISIR detectors. We also discuss performance of the "OCLI" silicate filters recently mounted in the instrument.
The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics (DAA) of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC) operates
a small observatory at Santa Martina hills located in the outskirts of Santiago. Despite the close distance (about 30 km)
from the centre of a very large metropolitan area, the observatory offers excellent conditions in terms of number of clear
nights and relatively good conditions in terms of light pollution and image quality. The observatory is mostly used for
didactic purposes, however we are evaluating scientific applications as well.
KEYWORDS: Telescopes, Data modeling, Cryogenics, Temperature metrology, Sensors, Systems modeling, Device simulation, Scanners, Control systems, Spectroscopy
This work presents the use of system modeling with the aim of maintaining and improving instrument performances. The complexity and cryogenic nature of infrared systems prevent continuous hardware upgrades, so that the advantages of modeling are of high value. Two applications of modeling and basic control theory are shown. The first example concerns the performance monitoring of the ISAAC cryogenic system. The measured and simulated cold structure temperatures are compared in real time, allowing for anticipation of possible failures of the cooling system and therefore for reduction of operational downtime. The second case is about the position control of the duo-echelle grating of the VISIR spectrometer. The controlled system was identified and simulated to select controller parameters that improve the image stability. Preliminary results show the possibility to get better compensation of the disturbances induced by the telescope movements, leading to an enhancement of the data quality.
R. Güsten, R. Booth, C. Cesarsky, K. Menten, C. Agurto, M. Anciaux, F. Azagra, V. Belitsky, A. Belloche, P. Bergman, C. De Breuck, C. Comito, M. Dumke, C. Duran, W. Esch, J. Fluxa, A. Greve, H. Hafok, W. Häupl, L. Helldner, A. Henseler, S. Heyminck, L. Johansson, C. Kasemann, B. Klein, A. Korn, E. Kreysa, R. Kurz, I. Lapkin, S. Leurini, D. Lis, A. Lundgren, F. Mac-Auliffe, M. Martinez, J. Melnick, D. Morris, D. Muders, L. Nyman, M. Olberg, R. Olivares, M. Pantaleev, N. Patel, K. Pausch, S. Philipp, S. Philipps, T. Sridharan, E. Polehampton, V. Reveret, C. Risacher, M. Roa, P. Sauer, P. Schilke, J. Santana, G. Schneider, J. Sepulveda, G. Siringo, J. Spyromilio, K.-H. Stenvers, F. van der Tak, D. Torres, L. Vanzi, V. Vassilev, A. Weiss, K. Willmeroth, A. Wunsch, F. Wyrowski
APEX, the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment, has been successfully commissioned and is in operation now. This novel submillimeter telescope is located at 5107 m altitude on Llano de Chajnantor in the Chilean High Andes, on what is considered one of the world's outstanding sites for submillimeter astronomy. The primary reflector with 12 m diameter has been carefully adjusted by means of holography. Its surface smoothness of 17-18 μm makes APEX suitable for observations up to 200 μm, through all atmospheric submm windows accessible from the ground.
We describe the general characteristics of the TIRGO infrared telescope, located on Gornergrat (Switzerland), and its most recent instrumentation. This telescope is specifically designed for infrared astronomical observations. Two newly designed instruments are presented: the imaging camera Arnica and the long-slit spectrometer LonGSp, both based on two-dimensional array detectors.
The near infrared camera/spectrometer (or NICS, for brevity), that we are currently designing for first-light operations of the Italian Telescope Galileo (TNG), makes use of a set of optics for achieving both good quality imaging on equivalent fields of view on the sky as large as 4' X 4', and moderate resolution spectroscopy at a resolving power of 400 - 2200, with the possibility to reach 7500 in the future, over the near infrared bands from 0.95 micrometers up to 2.50 micrometers . We describe the details of the optical design, with the overall requests we imposed on the project in terms of performance and total size.
We present an astronomical cooled grating spectrometer (LonGSp--Longslit Gornergrat Spectrometer) designed to work at Telescopio Infrarosso del Gornergrat. The covered spectral range is 0.9 divided by 2.5 micrometers and the resolving power is between 300 and 4000 depending on the order and slit width. The spectrometer employs a NICMOS 3 (256 X 256) engineering array of which a subsection of 70 X 40 is used.
A low-cost solution to the problem of cryogenic motors for infrared instrument is presented. Stepper motors have been modified to work in a cryogenic environment (T approximately equals 80 K) and laboratory tests have been performed to estimate both wear and torque. The modifications to the motors and the results of the measurements on torque of two different motors are reported.
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