In the effort to push the boundaries of radio astronomy observations, technological innovations are essential for future generations of observatories. This paper introduces an innovative design for future radio receivers in major observatories like ngVLA, ALMA, and SKA. The concept centers around an Octave Band Quad Ridge Feed Horn and Vacuum Window, designed to operate within the 25 to 50 GHz (2:1) frequency range. This cutting-edge feed model uses dielectric loading to enhance phase and polarization efficiency, thereby significantly increasing the overall aperture efficiency across the bandwidth. The dielectric rod, features a solid construction with comb-shaped ridges located in the throat of the feed horn. To complete the entire optic model an HDPE vacuum window with three custom designed antireflection layers to minimize the signal reflections, is designed and presented. To confirm the performance of the proposed model, we use two different 3D full-wave electromagnetic simulators, CST Studio Suite and HFSS. The results showcase a return loss exceeding 25dB with exceptional beam symmetry across the entire bandwidth.
The Near-InfraRed Planet Searcher or NIRPS is a precision radial velocity spectrograph developed through collaborative efforts among laboratories in Switzerland, Canada, Brazil, France, Portugal and Spain. NIRPS extends to the 0.98-1.8 μm domain of the pioneering HARPS instrument at the La Silla 3.6-m telescope in Chile and it has achieved unparalleled precision, measuring stellar radial velocities in the infrared with accuracy better than 1 m/s. NIRPS can be used either standalone, or simultaneously with HARPS. Commissioned in late 2022 and early 2023, NIRPS embarked on a 5-year Guaranteed Time Observation (GTO) program in April 2023, spanning 720 observing nights. This program focuses on planetary systems around M dwarfs, encompassing both the immediate solar vicinity and transit follow-ups, alongside transit and emission spectroscopy observations. We highlight NIRPS’s current performances and the insights gained during its deployment at the telescope. The lessons learned and successes achieved contribute to the ongoing advancement of precision radial velocity measurements and high spectral fidelity, further solidifying NIRPS’ role in the forefront of the field of exoplanets.
The Gemini Infrared Multi-Object Spectrograph (GIRMOS) is a powerful next-generation multi-object near-infrared spectrograph incorporating parallel imaging capabilities. In addition to closed-loop Gemini North Adaptive Optics (GNAO) system, each of the four GIRMOS Integral field spectrographs (IFSs) will independently perform additional multi-object AO correction in an open loop. The combined instrument will provide unique scientific capabilities such as simultaneous imaging/spectroscopy modes (for precision spectrophotometry) and interleaved imaging-spectroscopyimaging modes (for characterizing time-variable sources). In this paper, we provide a detailed updates and discussion of the mechanical design and analysis of the imager subsystem of the GIRMOS instrument, which is currently in the Critical Design Review (CDR) stage. We place particular emphasis on the design and testing of two cryogenic mechanisms—the filter wheel and the PRS deployment mechanism—along with the innovative design of cryogenic optical mounts.
NIRPS is a fiber-fed AO nIR spectrograph working simultaneously with HARPS at the La Silla-ESO 3.6m telescope. The cryogenic spectrograph operating at 75K employs a cross-dispersed echelle grating (R4), covering a wavelength range of 0.98-1.80 microns in a single image using a Teledyne Hawaii-4RG infrared detector. In early 2022, the NIRPS spectrograph was transported to Chile by plane with all the optical elements mechanically attached to the optical bench inside the vaccum vessel. To ensure the safety of the spectrograph, dedicated work was performed on the shipping crate design, which could survive up to 7g shocks. In La Silla, the vacuum vessel was re-integrated on its support structure and the spectrograph alignment was verified with the H4RG and the injection module. Given the optical design, the alignment phase was performed using a metrology arm and a few optical tests, which minimize the time required for this critical phase. From the validation/technical phase results, two major modifications were required. Firstly, the original grating element was replaced by a new etched crystalline silicon component made by the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering. A novel technique was developed to verify the alignment at a warm temperature with the H4RG detector. Secondly, a thermal enclosure was added around the vacuum vessel to optimize thermal stability. Since then, the long-term thermal stability has been better than 0.2mK over 20 days. In this paper, we will review the final spectrograph performances, prior to shipping, and describe the novel techniques developed to minimize shipping costs, AITV phase duration, and grating replacement at the observatory. Additionally, we will discuss the thermal enclosure design to achieve the sub-mK thermal stability.
In this paper we discuss the final mechanical design of the GIRMOS Cryostat. GIRMOS is an adaptive optics fed multi-object Integral-Field Spectrograph (IFS) with a parallel imaging capability and will be installed at the Gemini North Observatory. This instrument includes four identical spectrograph channels arranged symmetrically around a central optical axis which provides it with a multiplexing capability. GIRMOS has an object selection sub-assembly (OSEL) located upstream of the spectrographs which contains four motorized fold mirror assemblies that can scan the incoming light from the telescope to look at four separate sections of the sky simultaneously or can combine their efforts to look at a single larger section of the sky in a tiled mode. Each of the four individual IFS beams from the OSEL assembly is directed into the instrument Cryostat via its dedicated optical entrance window. Within the Cryostat each IFS beam moves through an anamorphic relay, an optical image slicer assembly, and eventually makes it to a spectrograph unit. In this paper, we will provide some details regarding the vacuum chamber design that houses the spectrographs, the design of the internal support structure, the opto-mechanical packaging of the IFS along with some of the thermal load mitigation techniques employed.
GIRMOS is an infrared multi-object adaptive object spectrograph with four channels and a simultaneous imaging system. The spectrographs and imager are housed within a single cryostat and the adaptive optics and object selection systems operate at ambient temperature in front of the cryostat. GIRMOS receives adaptive optics corrected light from the Gemini North Adaptive Optics (GNAO) System in either GLAO or LTAO mode. This paper provides an overview of the requirements and overall design of the imaging system including optical prototyping efforts undertaken to de-risk the design.
The radio instrumentation team (RIT) at NRC’s (National Research Council Canada) Herzberg astronomy and astrophysics research center (HAA) is currently developing a dual-linear polarization, single-feed Q-band cryogenic radio astronomy receiver to develop and demonstrate important technologies needed for front-end development for the next generation very large array (ngVLA) project lead by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). The specific target is the ngVLA band-5 receiver, which covers the frequency range 30.5–50.5 GHz. It also serves as a technology demonstrator for component development for ngVLA bands-3, 4, and 6. The Q-band receiver system is designed to achieve a receiver noise temperature of less than 20 K over 70% of the bandwidth and better than 24 K over the complete operating bandwidth, and is compliant with the current ngVLA Band-5 receiver requirement. The receiver system consists of a cryostat with a cooled feed horn, a turnstile OMT (orthomode transducer) plus two noise couplers for calibration, two cryogenic mHEMT low noise amplifiers with noise temperature lower than 14 K, IR filters, and a vacuum window for low-loss transmission of electromagnetic fields into the cryostat.
NIRPS is an infrared precision Radial Velocity (pRV) spectrograph covering the range 950 nm-1800 nm. NIRPS uses a high-order Adaptive Optics (AO) system to couple the starlight into a fiber corresponding to 0.4" on the sky as efficiently or better than HARPS or ESPRESSO couple the light in a 1.0" fiber. This allows the spectrograph to be very compact, more thermally stable, and less costly. Using a custom tan(θ)=4 dispersion grating in combination with a start-of-the-art Hawaii4RG detector makes NIRPS very efficient with complete coverage of the YJH bands at just under 100 000 resolution. On the ESO 3.6-m telescope, NIRPS and HARPS are working simultaneously on the same target, building a single powerful high-resolution, high-fidelity spectrograph covering the 0.37-1.8 µm domain. NIRPS will complement HARPS in validating Earth-like planets found around G and K-type stars whose signal is at the same order of magnitude than the stellar noise. While the telescope-side AO system was installed on the ESO 3.6-m telescope in 2019, the infrared cryogenic spectrograph has been integrated at the telescope in early-2022 and has had first light in June 2022. Results from the first light mission show that NIRPS performs very nicely, that the AO system works up to magnitude I=14.5, that the transmission matches requirements and that the RV stability of 1 m/s is within reach While performance assessment is ongoing, NIRPS has demonstrated on-sky m/s-level stability over a night and <3 m/s level over two weeks. Limitations on the RV performances arise from modal noise that can be mitigated through better scrambling strategies. Better performances are also expected following a grating upgrade in July 2022; these will be tested in late-2022.
NIRPS is a near-infrared (YJH bands), fiber-fed, high-resolution precise radial velocity (PRV) spectrograph installed at the ESO 3.6-m telescope in La Silla, Chile. Using a dichroic, NIRPS will be operated simultaneously with the optical HARPS PRV spectrograph and will be used to conduct ambitious planet-search and characterization surveys. NIRPS aims at detecting and characterizing Earth-like planets in the habitable zone of low-mass dwarfs and obtain high-accuracy transit spectroscopy of exoplanets. The spectrograph is compact for better thermal stability. Using a custom R4 grating in combination with a state-of-the-art Hawaii4RG detector, the instrument provides a high resolution and high stability over the range of 950-1800 nm. This paper focuses on the lens and optomechanical design, assembly, and test of NIRPS’s spectrograph. Some performance tests conducted at Université Laval (Canada) during the integration and at La Silla during commissioning are presented
GHOST instrument is being developed for the Gemini telescope and is a collaboration between AAO, the Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics (HAA) in Canada and the Australian National University (ANU). The instrument is a fiber fed spectrograph with R<50,000 in two-object mode and R<75,000 in single object mode. This paper presents mechanical design and optical alignment of the lens barrels used for the two cameras in the instrument. A divide and conquer approach was used. Camera lenses were aligned to their respective individual cells for the tilt and axial spacing, and then bonded to flexures for stability. Centering of the lens to each other was done as the individual cells were stacked into barrels. Alignment in tilt and axial position was performed on Laser Alignment and Assembly Station (LAS) manufactured by Opto-Alignment Technology, Inc. Design of the individual optical cells provides low-stress restraint and at the same time ensures high rigidity and long-term mechanical stability of the mount.
The Gemini High-Resolution Optical SpecTrograph (GHOST) instrument is the next generation high resolution spectrograph for the Gemini telescope. The GHOST instrument was developed for the Gemini telescope as a collaboration between Australian Astronomical Optics (AAO) at Macquarie University, the Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics (HAA) in Canada and the Australian National University (ANU). The instrument is a fiber fed spectrograph with R<50,000 in two-object mode and R<75,000 in single object mode. The bench spectrograph was integrated at Gemini South from April to June 2022. This paper presents the final integration and alignment of the spectrograph at Gemini South and the measured spectrograph performance at the telescope.
The GIRMOS instrument is a multi-object spectrograph with four channels combined with an infrared imager housed within a common cryostat. This instrument will be fed by ground-layer adaptive optics (GLAO) or laser tomography AO (LTAO) corrected light from the Gemini North Adaptive Optics (GNAO) system. The combined instrument will provide unique scientific capabilities such as simultaneous imaging/spectroscopy modes (for precision spectrophotometry) and interleaved imaging-spectroscopy-imaging modes (for characterizing time-variable sources). The National Research Council Canada has recently completed the Preliminary Design of the Imager opto-mechanics. In this paper, we present the driving requirements, as derived from the science cases, and the optical and mechanical designs. The optical design maps a large fraction of the GIRMOS field-of-view onto a single engineering-grade 4Kx4K HAWAII 4RG detector with 21 mas pixels, provided by the Gemini Observatory. The imager produces diffraction-limited image quality across Y, J, H, and Ks-bands across an 85x85” field for an f/32 beam. It includes a location for a full filter complement, an accessible pupil for a cold stop to minimize thermal background, and a pupil imaging mode to align the cold stop to the telescope pupil. The lenses are mounted in cells with rolled flexures or athermalized centering pins and are preloaded to withstand 5g accelerations and provide thermal stability. The filters are housed in a double wheel assembly with cryogenic bearings and roller detents. All of the imager components are connected with a substructure that interfaces with the spectrograph optical bench. This substructure allows for easier testing and integration of the imager, independent from the spectrographs.
NIRPS (Near Infra Red Planet Searcher) is a near-infrared, fiber-fed, high-resolution, high precision radial velocity (pRV) spectrograph to be installed at ESO 3.6m telescope in La Silla Observatory in Chile. High precision radial velocity measurements require to have a very stable optical assembly. The gluing of optical elements in their mounts with A12 epoxy was selected as bonding process to minimize kinematic motion and optimize stability. However, coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch between optical elements, their mountings and the glue may produce large local mechanical stress. Finite element analysis (FEA) was performed to estimate the thermal stress at room temperature and cryogenic temperature (80K). The selection of suitable bonding parameters (gluing setup, glue thickness, etc.) was a challenge given the CTE difference of optical elements (ZnSe and ZerodurTM) and holding flexures (SS304 and InvarTM). Extensive tests were performed to find a suitable bonding strategy. Gluing samples were tested under cryogenic temperature during several weeks. Mechanical shear stress tests were also performed to show that glued assembly could survive a 12g vertical load.
KEYWORDS: Spectrographs, Telescopes, Lanthanum, Planets, Spectroscopes, Exoplanets, Aerospace engineering, Space operations, James Webb Space Telescope
NIRPS is a near-infrared (YJH bands), fiber-fed, high-resolution precision radial velocity (pRV) spectrograph currently under construction for deployment at the ESO 3.6-m telescope in La Silla, Chile. Through the use of a dichroic, NIRPS will be operated simultaneously with the optical HARPS pRV spectrograph and will be used to conduct ambitious planet-search and characterization surveys through a 720-night of guaranteed time allocation. NIRPS aims at detecting and characterizing Earth-like planets in the habitable zone of low-mass dwarfs and obtain high-accuracy transit spectroscopy of exoplanets. Here we present a summary of the full performances obtained in laboratory tests conducted at Université Laval (Canada), and the first results of the on-going on-sky commissioning of the front-end. Science operations of NIRPS is expected to start in late-2020, enabling significant synergies with major space and ground instruments such as the JWST, TESS, ALMA, PLATO and the ELT.
The instrument group of the Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics has been subcontracted by Australian Astronomical Optics (AAO) at Macquarie University to design and build the bench spectrograph for the Gemini High-Resolution Optical SpecTrograph (GHOST) instrument. The GHOST instrument is being developed for the Gemini telescope and is a collaboration between AAO, the Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics (HAA) in Canada and the Australian National University (ANU). The instrument is a fiber fed spectrograph with R<50,000 in two-object mode and R<75,000 in single object mode. This paper presents the i ph and the performance results for the laboratory testing of the spectrograph.
NIRPS is a near-infrared RV spectrograph for ESO 3.6m telescope in La Silla. At the present the instrument is in the integration phase. This new instrument will be covering YJH bands to detect and characterize low-mass planets in the habitable zone of M dwarfs, and will allow RV measurements at 1 m/s level, at 100K spectral resolution. The instrument consists of three subsystems: the front-end extracts the 700nm-2400nm band from the telescope beam, fiber link scrambles and guides light into the spectrograph, and the spectrograph itself. The cryogenic spectrograph unit, is operating at 80 K. Among key parameters is thermal stability of less than 1 mK over 24 hours. In this paper we describe as-built thermal and vacuum system design, work performed on assembly and integration of the cryo-vacuum subsystem, and validation of the thermal design, and thermal stability.
The Gemini High-Resolution Optical SpecTrograph (GHOST) is the newest instrument being integrated for the Gemini telescopes, in a collaboration between the Australian National University (ANU), the NRC-Herzberg in Canada and the Australian Astronomical Observatory (AAO). The GHOST outer enclosure consists of 20 heated thermal panels, forming an encompassing structure with a stationary ‘bridge’ assembly and two removable sections for access. The outer enclosure provides an ultra-stable, dark environment for the bench spectrograph. This paper reviews the outer enclosure construction from a practical standpoint, examining how environmental requirements are met through the thermal panel construction, light seal and dry air system designs. This paper also describes thermal panel production workflow, enclosure assembly methodology, alignment and cable routing challenges. Results of the enclosure's thermal stability verification tests are presented and a list of lessons learned.
A compact front-end system is presented for a dual-linear polarization cryogenic Q-band receiver. This receiver will be used to demonstrate the high frequency performance of the Dish Verification Antenna 2 (DVA-2) composite reflector telescope between 35–50 GHz and is a technology demonstrator with possible application to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA). A vacuum vessel and a two-stage Gifford-McMahon cryopump system are used for the cryogenic environment. The second stage of the cryostat is cooled to 16 K and includes a small choke ring feed horn, a low-loss noise calibration module (NCM) integrated with orthogonal mode transducer (OMT), and two cryogenically cooled mHEMT MMIC low-noise amplifiers (LNAs). Using a noise diode as the noise source on the 300 K stage inside the cryostat helps to protect the cooled components from signals outside of the cryostat, and also lessen the heat on the second stage since a noise diode normally produce a power dissipation of several hundred mW. The OMT design is an optimized version of the design used in the ALMA Band 1 cartridge with two integrated directional couplers and excellent performance. The cascaded noise analysis of the receiver shows a receiver noise temperature of 19.4 K.
NIRPS (Near Infra Red Planet Searcher) is a new ultra-stable infrared ( YJH) fiber-fed spectrograph that will be installed on ESO’s 3.6-m telescope in La Silla, Chile. Aiming at achieving a precision of 1 m/s, NIRPS is designed to find rocky planets orbiting M dwarfs, and will operate together with HARPS (High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher). In this paper we describe NIRPS science cases, present its main technical characteristics and its development status.
A single feed cryogenic Q-band (35 – 50 GHz) dual-linear polarization receiver is under development at the NRC, primarily to establish the antenna performance parameters of the Dish Verification Antenna 2 at its high-frequency limit and as a possible receiver system for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA). The cryostat houses a corrugated feed horn cooled to 16 K with a wide opening half-angle of 55°. The linear orthomode transducer (OMT) was redesigned to incorporate noise injection couplers and the power dividing function thus reducing the amount of components, connections, and thermal mass. The low noise (TLNA = 12 K) amplifier (LNA) was also redesigned to replace coaxial ports with WR-22 waveguide ports. The specifications, receiver design, measured farfield feed horn beam patterns from a near-field planar scanner, simulated OMT results, and sub-20 K receiver noise analysis is presented, along with future plans for production and installation.
SPIRou is an innovative near infra-red echelle spectropolarimeter and a high-precision velocimeter for the 3.6 m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT – Mauna Kea, Hawaii). This new generation instrument aims at detecting planetary worlds and Earth-like planets of nearby red dwarfs, in habitable zone, and studying the role of the stellar magnetic field during the process of low-mass stars / planets formation. The cryogenic spectrograph unit, cooled down at 80 K, is a fiber fed double-pass cross dispersed echelle spectrograph which works in the 0.98-2.40 μm wavelength range, allowing the coverage of the YJHK bands in a single exposure. Among the key parameters, a long-term thermal stability better than 2 mK, a relative radial velocity better than 1 m.s -1 and a spectral resolution of 70K are required. After ~ 1 year of assembly, integration and tests at IRAP/OMP (Toulouse, France) during 2016/2017, SPIRou was then shipped to Hawaii and completely re-integrated at CFHT during February 2018. A full instrument first light was performed on 24th of April 2018. The technical commissioning / science validation phase is in progress until June 2018, before opening to the science community. In this paper, we describe the work performed on integration and test of the opto-mechanical assemblies composing the spectrograph unit, firstly in-lab, in Toulouse and then on site, at CFHT. A review of the performances obtained in-lab (in 2017) and during the first on-sky results (in 2018) is also presented.
Since 1st light in 2002, HARPS has been setting the standard in the exo-planet detection by radial velocity (RV) measurements[1]. Based on this experience, our consortium is developing a high accuracy near-infrared RV spectrograph covering YJH bands to detect and characterize low-mass planets in the habitable zone of M dwarfs. It will allow RV measurements at the 1-m/s level and will look for habitable planets around M- type stars by following up the candidates found by the upcoming space missions TESS, CHEOPS and later PLATO. NIRPS and HARPS, working simultaneously on the ESO 3.6m are bound to become a single powerful high-resolution, high-fidelity spectrograph covering from 0.4 to 1.8 micron. NIRPS will complement HARPS in validating earth-like planets found around G and K-type stars whose signal is at the same order of magnitude than the stellar noise. Because at equal resolving power the overall dimensions of a spectrograph vary linearly with the input beam étendue, spectrograph designed for seeing-limited observations are large and expensive. NIRPS will use a high order adaptive optics system to couple the starlight into a fiber corresponding to 0.4” on the sky as efficiently or better than HARPS or ESPRESSO couple the light 0.9” fiber. This allows the spectrograph to be very compact, more thermally stable and less costly. Using a custom tan(θ)=4 dispersion grating in combination with a start-of-the-art Hawaii4RG detector makes NIRPS very efficient with complete coverage of the YJH bands at 110’000 resolution. NIRPS works in a regime that is in-between the usual multi-mode (MM) where 1000’s of modes propagates in the fiber and the single mode well suited for perfect optical systems. This regime called few-modes regime is prone to modal noise- Results from a significant R and D effort made to characterize and circumvent the modal noise show that this contribution to the performance budget shall not preclude the RV performance to be achieved.
The InfraRed Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) will be the first light adaptive optics instrument on the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). IRIS is being built by a collaboration between Caltech, the University of California, NAOJ and NRC Herzberg. In this paper we present novel aspects of the Support Structure, Rotator and On-Instrument Wavefront Sensor systems being developed at NRC Herzberg. IRIS is suspended from the bottom port of the Narrow Field Infrared Adaptive Optics System (NFIRAOS), and provides its own image de-rotation to compensate for sidereal rotation of the focal plane. This arrangement is a challenge because NFIRAOS is designed to host two other science instruments, which imposes strict mass requirements on IRIS. As the mechanical design of all elements has progressed, we have been tasked with keeping the instrument mass under seven tonnes. This requirement has resulted in a mass reduction of 30 percent for the support structure and rotator compared to the most recent IRIS designs. To accomplish this goal, while still being able to withstand earthquakes, we developed a new design with composite materials. As IRIS is a client instrument of NFIRAOS, it benefits from NFIRAOS’s superior AO correction. IRIS plays an important role in providing this correction by sensing low-order aberrations with three On-Instrument Wavefront Sensors (OIWFS). The OIWFS consists of three independently positioned natural guide star wavefront sensor probe arms that patrol a 2-arcminute field of view. We expect tip-tilt measurements from faint stars within the IRIS imager focal plane will further stabilize the delivered image quality. We describe how the use of On-Detector Guide Windows (ODGWs) in the IRIS imaging detector can be incorporated into the AO correction. In this paper, we present our strategies for acquiring and tracking sources with this complex AO system, and for mitigating and measuring the various potential sources of image blur and misalignment due to properties of the mechanical structure and interfaces.
NFIRAOS is the first light adaptive optics system for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). NFIRAOS components are maintained at a stable -30°C ±0.5°C by embedding an actively cooled refrigeration system in the walls of the NFIRAOS enclosure. Three instruments are attached to interface ports in the NFIRAOS enclosure and are required to be thermally stable while the instrument rotates in place. Additionally, instruments must be installed and removed while NFIRAOS is cold to avoid lengthy cool-down cycles. A portion of the actively cooled enclosure system and the interface has been prototyped at NRC-Herzberg. We present a description of the design of the interface and results of testing so far and lessons learned.
The Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) is a facility extreme-AO high-contrast instrument – optimized solely for study of faint companions – on the Gemini telescope. It combines a high-order MEMS AO system (1493 active actuators), an apodized pupil Lyot coronagraph, a high-accuracy IR post-coronagraph wavefront sensor, and a near-infrared integral field spectrograph. GPI incorporates several other novel features such as ultra-high quality optics, a spatially-filtered wavefront sensor, and new calibration techniques. GPI had first light in November 2013. This paper presnets results of first-light and performance verification and optimization and shows early science results including extrasolar planet spectra and polarimetric detection of the HR4696A disk. GPI is now achieving contrasts approaching 10-6 at 0.5” in 30 minute exposures.
We present an overview of the design of IRIS, an infrared (0.84 - 2.4 micron) integral field spectrograph and imaging
camera for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). With extremely low wavefront error (<30 nm) and on-board wavefront
sensors, IRIS will take advantage of the high angular resolution of the narrow field infrared adaptive optics system
(NFIRAOS) to dissect the sky at the diffraction limit of the 30-meter aperture. With a primary spectral resolution of
4000 and spatial sampling starting at 4 milliarcseconds, the instrument will create an unparalleled ability to explore high
redshift galaxies, the Galactic center, star forming regions and virtually any astrophysical object. This paper summarizes
the entire design and basic capabilities. Among the design innovations is the combination of lenslet and slicer integral
field units, new 4Kx4k detectors, extremely precise atmospheric dispersion correction, infrared wavefront sensors, and a
very large vacuum cryogenic system.
The first light instrument on the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project will be the InfraRed Imaging Spectrograph
(IRIS). IRIS will be mounted on a bottom port of the facility AO instrument NFIRAOS. IRIS will report guiding
information to the NFIRAOS through the On-Instrument Wavefront Sensor (OIWFS) that is part of IRIS. This will be in
a self-contained compartment of IRIS and will provide three deployable wavefront sensor probe arms. This entire unit
will be rotated to provide field de-rotation. Currently in our preliminary design stage our efforts have included:
prototyping of the probe arm to determine the accuracy of this critical component, handling cart design and reviewing
different types of glass for the atmospheric dispersion.
The Gemini Remote Access to CFHT ESPaDONS Spectrograph has achieved first light of its experimental phase in May
2014. It successfully collected light from the Gemini North telescope and sent it through two 270 m optical fibers to the
the ESPaDOnS spectrograph at CFHT to deliver high-resolution spectroscopy across the optical region. The fibers gave
an average focal ratio degradation of 14% on sky, and a maximum transmittance of 85% at 800nm. GRACES achieved
delivering spectra with a resolution power of R = 40,000 and R = 66,000 between 400 and 1,000 nm. It has a ~8%
throughput and is sensitive to target fainter than 21st mag in 1 hour. The average acquisition time of a target is around 10 min. This project is a great example of a productive collaboration between two observatories on Maunakea that was
successful due to the reciprocal involvement of the Gemini, CFHT, and NRC Herzberg teams, and all the staff involved
closely or indirectly.
The Gemini High-Resolution Optical SpecTrograph (GHOST) is the newest instrument being developed for the Gemini telescopes, in a collaboration between the Australian Astronomical Observatory (AAO), the NRC - Herzberg in Canada and the Australian National University (ANU). We describe the process of design optimisation that utilizes the unique strengths of the new partner, NRC - Herzberg, the design and need for the slit viewing camera system, and we describe a simplification for the lenslet-based slit reformatting. Finally, we out- line the updated project plan, and describe the unique scientific role this instrument will have in an international context, from exoplanets through to the distant Universe.
SPIRou is a near-IR echelle spectropolarimeter and high-precision velocimeter under construction as a next-
generation instrument for the Canada-France-Hawaii-Telescope. It is designed to cover a very wide simultaneous
near-IR spectral range (0.98-2.35 μm) at a resolving power of 73.5K, providing unpolarized and polarized
spectra of low-mass stars at a radial velocity (RV) precision of 1m/s. The main science goals of SPIRou are
the detection of habitable super-Earths around low-mass stars and the study of stellar magnetism of star at
the early stages of their formation. Following a successful final design review in Spring 2014, SPIRou is now
under construction and is scheduled to see first light in late 2017. We present an overview of key aspects of
SPIRou’s optical and mechanical design.
This paper presents an overview of the PDR level mechanical and opto-mechanical design of the cryogenic spectrograph
unit of the nIR spectropolarimeter (SPIROU) proposed as a new-generation instrument for CFHT. The design is driven
by the need for high thermo-mechanical stability in terms of the radial velocity (RV) of 1 m/s during one night, with the
requirement for thermal stability set at 1 mK/24 hours. This paper describes stress-free design of the cryogenic optical
mounts, mechanical design of the custom-build cryostat, mechanical design of the optical bench, and thermal design for
1 mK thermal stability. The thermal budget was calculated using lumped-mass model thermal analysis, implemented in
Modelica multi-domain modeling language. Discussion of thermal control options to achieve 1 mK thermal stability is
included.
KEYWORDS: Stars, Calibration, Control systems, Telescopes, Spectrographs, Sensors, Control systems design, Temperature metrology, Optical benches, Lamps
SPIRou is a near-IR (0.98-2.35μm), echelle spectropolarimeter / high precision velocimeter being designed as a nextgeneration
instrument for the 3.6m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, with the main goals of
detecting Earth-like planets around low-mass stars and magnetic fields of forming stars. The unique scientific and
technical capabilities of SPIRou are described in a series of eight companion papers. In this paper, the means of
controlling the instrument are discussed. Most of the instrument control is fairly normal, using off-the-shelf components
where possible and reusing already available code for these components. Some aspects, however, are more challenging.
In particular, the paper will focus on the challenges of doing fast (50 Hz) guiding with 30 mas repeatability using the
object being observed as a reference and on thermally stabilizing a large optical bench to a very high precision (~1 mK).μ
The Gemini Planet Imager is a next-generation instrument for the direct detection and characterization of young warm exoplanets, designed to be an order of magnitude more sensitive than existing facilities. It combines a 1700-actuator adaptive optics system, an apodized-pupil Lyot coronagraph, a precision interferometric infrared wavefront sensor, and a integral field spectrograph. All hardware and software subsystems are now complete and undergoing integration and test at UC Santa Cruz. We will present test results on each subsystem and the results of end-to-end testing. In laboratory testing, GPI has achieved a raw contrast (without post-processing) of 10-6 5σ at 0.4”, and with multiwavelength speckle suppression, 2x10-7 at the same separation.
SPIRou is a near-infrared, echelle spectropolarimeter/velocimeter under design for the 3.6m Canada-France-Hawaii
Telescope (CFHT) on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The unique scientific capabilities and technical design features are described
in the accompanying (eight) papers at this conference. In this paper we focus on the lens design of the optical
spectrograph. The SPIROU spectrograph is a near infrared fiber fed double pass cross dispersed spectrograph. The
cryogenic spectrograph is connected with the Cassegrain unit by the two science fibers. It is also fed by the fiber coming
from the calibration box and RV reference module of the instrument. It includes 2 off-axis parabolas (1 in double pass),
an echelle grating, a train of cross disperser prisms (in double pass), a flat folding mirror, a refractive camera and a
detector. This paper describes the optical design of the spectrograph unit and estimates the performances. In particular,
the echelle grating options are discussed as the goal grating is not available from the market.
We provide an update on the development of the first light adaptive optics systems for the Thirty Meter Telescope
(TMT) over the past two years. The first light AO facility for TMT consists of the Narrow Field Infra-Red AO
System (NFIRAOS) and the associated Laser Guide Star Facility (LGSF). This order 60 × 60 laser guide star
(LGS) multi-conjugate AO (MCAO) architecture will provide uniform, diffraction-limited performance in the
J, H, and K bands over 17-30 arc sec diameter fields with 50 per cent sky coverage at the galactic pole, as
is required to support TMT science cases. Both NFIRAOS and the LGSF have successfully completed design
reviews during the last twelve months. We also report on recent progress in AO component prototyping, control
algorithm development, and system performance analysis.
NFIRAOS is the first-light adaptive optics system planned for the Thirty Meter Telescope, and is being designed at the
National Research Council of Canada's Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics. NFIRAOS is a laser guide star multiconjugate
adaptive optics system - a practical approach to providing diffraction limited image quality in the NIR over a
30" field of view, with high sky coverage. This will enable a wide range of TMT science that depends upon the large
corrected field of view and high precision astrometry and photometry. We review recent progress developing the design
and conducting performance estimates for NFIRAOS.
The Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) is a facility instrument under construction for the 8-m Gemini South telescope. This
paper describes the methods used for optical alignment of the adaptive optics (AO) bench. The optical alignment of the
off-axis paraboloid mirrors was done using a pre-alignment method utilizing a HeNe laser and alignment telescopes
followed by a fine-tuning using a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor and a shear plate. A FARO arm measuring system
was used to place the fiducials for the alignment. Using these methods the AO bench was aligned to 13nm RMS of
wavefront error.
The InfraRed Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) is a first light client science instrument for the TMT observatory that
operates as a client of the NFIRAOS facility multi-conjugate adaptive optics system. This paper reports on the
concept study and baseline concept design of the On-Instrument WaveFront Sensors (OIWFS) and NFIRAOS
interface subsystems of the IRIS science instrument, a collaborative effort by NRC-HIA, Caltech, and TMT AO
and Instrument teams. This includes work on system engineering, structural and thermal design, sky coverage
modeling, patrol geometry, probe optics and mechanics design, camera design, and controls design.
We present an overview of the design of IRIS, an infrared (0.85 - 2.5 micron) integral field spectrograph and imaging
camera for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). With extremely low wavefront error (<30 nm) and on-board wavefront
sensors, IRIS will take advantage of the high angular resolution of the narrow field infrared adaptive optics system
(NFIRAOS) to dissect the sky at the diffraction limit of the 30-meter aperture. With a primary spectral resolution of
4000 and spatial sampling starting at 4 milliarcseconds, the instrument will create an unparalleled ability to explore high
redshift galaxies, the Galactic center, star forming regions and virtually any astrophysical object. This paper summarizes
the entire design and basic capabilities. Among the design innovations is the combination of lenslet and slicer integral
field units, new 4Kx4k detectors, extremely precise atmospheric dispersion correction, infrared wavefront sensors, and a
very large vacuum cryogenic system.
Adaptive optics (AO) is essential for many elements of the science case for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). The
initial requirements for the observatory's facility AO system include diffraction-limited performance in the near IR, with
50 per cent sky coverage at the galactic pole. Point spread function uniformity and stability over a 30 arc sec field-ofview
are also required for precision photometry and astrometry. These capabilities will be achieved via an order 60×60
multi-conjugate AO system (NFIRAOS) with two deformable mirrors, six laser guide star wavefront sensors, and three
low-order, IR, natural guide star wavefront sensors within each client instrument. The associated laser guide star facility
(LGSF) will employ 150W of laser power at a wavelength of 589 nm to generate the six laser guide stars.
We provide an update on the progress in designing, modeling, and validating these systems and their components over
the last two years. This includes work on the layouts and detailed designs of NFIRAOS and the LGSF; fabrication and
test of a full-scale prototype tip/tilt stage (TTS); Conceptual Designs Studies for the real time controller (RTC) hardware
and algorithms; fabrication and test of the detectors for the
laser- and natural-guide star wavefront sensors; AO system
modeling and performance optimization; lab tests of wavefront sensing algorithms for use with elongated laser guide
stars; and high resolution LIDAR measurements of the mesospheric sodium layer. Further details may be found in
specific papers on each of these topics.
NFIRAOS, the TMT Observatory's initial facility AO system is a
multi-conjugate AO system feeding science light from
0.8 to 2.5 microns wavelength to several near-IR client instruments. NFIRAOS has two deformable mirrors optically
conjugated to 0 and 11.2 km, and will correct atmospheric turbulence with 50 per cent sky coverage at the galactic pole.
An important requirement is to have very low background: the plan is to cool the optics; and one DM is on a tip/tilt stage
to reduce surface count. NFIRAOS' real time control uses multiple sodium laser wavefront sensors and up to three IR
natural guide star tip/tilt and/or tip/tilt/focus sensors located within each client instrument. Extremely large telescopes
are sensitive to errors due to the variability of the sodium layer. To reduce this sensitivity, NFIRAOS uses innovative
algorithms coupled with Truth wavefront sensors to monitor a natural star at low bandwidth. It also includes an IR acquisition
camera, and a high speed NGS WFS for operation without lasers. For calibration, NFIRAOS includes simulators
of both natural stars at infinity and laser guide stars at varying range distance. Because astrometry is an important
science programme for NFIRAOS, there is a precision pinhole mask deployable at the input focal plane. This mask is
illuminated by a science wavelength and flat-field calibrator that shines light into NFIRAOS' entrance window. We
report on recent effort especially including trade studies to reduce field distortion in the science path and to reduce cost
and complexity.
This paper presents a design of a variable size spatial filter used in the wavefront sensor subsystem
of the Gemini Planet Imager instrument. It describes an adjustable mechanism consisting of two
slides forming a square aperture which can be varied in size between 1.8 and 6.7 mm. These slides
are located on athermalized flexure mounts that move opposite to one another driven by a single
precision linear actuator. The device retains long term dimensional stability, resolution, and
repeatability on a micron level for all gravity vector orientations and for temperatures between -5°C
and + 25°C.
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