RHEA: the ultra-compact replicable high-resolution exoplanet and Asteroseismology spectrograph

Tobias Feger; Carlos Bacigalupo; Timothy R. Bedding; Joao Bento; David W. Coutts; Michael J. Ireland; Quentin A. Parker; Aaron Rizzuto; Izabela Spaleniak

doi:10.1117/12.2055600

28 July 2014 RHEA: the ultra-compact replicable high-resolution exoplanet and Asteroseismology spectrograph

Tobias Feger, Carlos Bacigalupo, Timothy R. Bedding, Joao Bento, David W. Coutts, Michael J. Ireland, Quentin A. Parker, Aaron Rizzuto, Izabela Spaleniak

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9147, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V; 91477I (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2055600
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2014, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

Abstract

We present the opto-mechanical design and the characterization of the Replicable High-resolution Exoplanet and Asteroseismology (RHEA) spectrograph. RHEA is an ultra-compact fiber-fed echelle spectrograph designed to be used at 0.2-0.4 m class robotic telescopes where long term dedicated projects are possible. The instrument will be primarily used for radial velocity (RV) studies of low to intermediate-mass giant stars for the purpose of searching for hot Jupiters and using asteroseismology to simultaneously measure the host star parameters and de-correlate stellar pulsations. The optical design comprises a double-pass (i.e. near Littrow) configuration with prism cross-disperser and single-mode fiber (SMF) input. The spectrograph has a resolving power of R>70,000 and operates at 430–670 nm with minimum order separation of ~180 μm. This separation allows a 1x6 photonic lantern integration at a later stage which is currently under development. The current design is built with the aim of creating an inexpensive and replicable unit. The spectrograph is optimised for long-baseline RV observations through careful temperature stabilisation and simultaneous wavelength calibration. As a further improvement the echelle grating is housed in a vacuum chamber to maintain pressure stability. The performance of the current prototype is currently being tested on a 0.4 m telescope at the Macquarie University Observatory.

Citation Download Citation

Tobias Feger, Carlos Bacigalupo, Timothy R. Bedding, Joao Bento, David W. Coutts, Michael J. Ireland, Quentin A. Parker, Aaron Rizzuto, and Izabela Spaleniak "RHEA: the ultra-compact replicable high-resolution exoplanet and Asteroseismology spectrograph", Proc. SPIE 9147, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V, 91477I (28 July 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2055600

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available