Conceptual design of a new echelle spectrograph for the ARC 3.5-m telescope at APO

John C. Wilson; Nancy J. Chanover; Robert Barkhouser; Mirek Golebiowski; Randolph P. Hammond; Stephen A. Smee

doi:10.1117/12.3020569

18 July 2024 Conceptual design of a new echelle spectrograph for the ARC 3.5-m telescope at APO

John C. Wilson, Nancy J. Chanover, Robert Barkhouser, Mirek Golebiowski, Randolph P. Hammond, Stephen A. Smee

Proceedings Volume 13096, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy X; 130967N (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3020569
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2024, Yokohama, Japan

Conference Poster

Abstract

We present the conceptual design of a new optical echelle spectrograph for the Astrophysical Research Consortium 3.5-m Telescope at Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico. The Nasmyth-mounted slit spectrograph, intended to replace the existing echelle spectrograph that is over 20 years old, will provide continuous spectra for wavelengths spanning the range 350 nm – 1000 nm with a white pupil design featuring separate blue and red arms. A real-time slit change mechanism will allow three primary modes: 1) Resolution R ~ 32,000 for the median seeing of 1.2 arcsec FWHM, 2) R ~ 40,000 when using a smaller slit with tip-tilt image stabilization, and 3) R ~ 64,000 using a two-slice image slicer. The peak instrument throughput is ~ 38% and at 350 nm the throughput is ~ 22%. High throughput, particularly in the blue, will be enabled through the use of an atmospheric dispersion corrector, high performance coatings, tip-tilt image stabilization, and careful attention to refractive material choices. Expected instrument sensitivity for magnitude 14 stars is SNR per pixel of 50 in 3600 sec at 355 nm (u-band) and about 1800 sec for the centers of griz bands for both the R ~32,000 and R~ 40,000 modes.

(2024) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Citation Download Citation

John C. Wilson, Nancy J. Chanover, Robert Barkhouser, Mirek Golebiowski, Randolph P. Hammond, and Stephen A. Smee "Conceptual design of a new echelle spectrograph for the ARC 3.5-m telescope at APO", Proc. SPIE 13096, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy X, 130967N (18 July 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3020569

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