The Gemini Planet Imager 2.0 (GPI 2.0) is an upgrade to the original GPI, an instrument for directly imaging exoplanet systems, which is being moved to the Gemini North telescope atop Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Major changes involve improved coronagraph designs and upgrading the adaptive optics (AO) system with a new pyramid wavefront sensor (PWFS). The addition of these new components require revised models for evaluating the performance and understanding the limitations of the system. This in turn helps us inform the broader GPI 2.0 science goals. We run end-to-end AO simulations, to assess the performance of GPI 2.0 AO under typical atmospheric conditions on Mauna Kea. We use these simulations to help us determine operating parameters such as the limiting stellar magnitude, maximum Strehl ratio, and the contrast achieved by the joint AO-coronagraph system before speckle-suppression. This information will be used to predict the science performance on a range of targets and design observing strategies.
The NFIRAOS Science Calibration Unit (NSCU) is a large subsystem of NFIRAOS that provides calibration light for the instruments fed by NFIRAOS. It is physically separate from NFIRAOS proper, located outside of the NFIRAOS optics enclosure and ahead of the NFIRAOS entrance window. The NSCU incorporates flat-field illumination sources and the relay optics necessary to inject calibration light into the NFIRAOS optical path, including a fold mirror which is retracted for night-time science observations, allowing telescope light to pass through the NSCU directly into NFIRAOS. The two major requirements of the NFIRAOS science calibration unit (NSCU) are to provide flat-fielding and wavelength-calibration illuminations to NFIRAOS-fed instruments for calibration of scientific data and to provide pupil-simulated telescope beams to NFIRAOS for calibration of the telescope pupil. This paper will summarize the optical and mechanical designs of the NSCU, including light sources and relay optics design, structural trade studies and downselection, and alignment and integration considerations.
The Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) is a high contrast imaging instrument that aims to detect and characterize extrasolar planets. GPI is being upgraded to GPI 2.0, with several subsystems receiving a re-design to improve its contrast. To enable observations on fainter targets and increase performance on brighter ones, one of the upgrades is to the adaptive optics system. The current Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor (WFS) is being replaced by a pyramid WFS with an low-noise electron multiplying CCD (EMCCD). EMCCDs are detectors capable of counting single photon events at high speed and high sensitivity. In this work, we characterize the performance of the HNü 240 EMCCD from Nüvü Cameras, which was custom-built for GPI 2.0. Through our performance evaluation we found that the operating mode of the camera had to be changed from inverted-mode (IMO) to non-inverted mode (NIMO) in order to improve charge diffusion features found in the detector’s images. Here, we characterize the EMCCD’s noise contributors (readout noise, clock-induced charges, dark current) and linearity tests (EM gain, exposure time) before and after the switch to NIMO.
The Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) is a high-contrast imaging instrument designed to directly detect and characterise young, Jupiter-mass exoplanets. After six years of operation at the Gemini South Telescope in Chile, the instrument is being upgraded and moved to the Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii as GPI 2.0. Several improvements have been made to the adaptive optics (AO) system as part of this upgrade. This includes replacing the current Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor with a pyramid wavefront sensor (PWFS) and a custom EMCCD. These changes will increase GPI’s sky coverage by accessing fainter targets, improving corrections on fainter stars and allowing faster and ultra-low latency operations on brighter targets. The PWFS subsystem was independently built and tested to verify its performance before being integrated into the GPI 2.0 instrument. This paper will present the pre-integration performance test results, including pupil image quality, throughput and linearity without modulation.
The imaging search for exoplanets is mainly limited by quasi-static speckle noise that have lifetimes between milliseconds and hours. Attempts to remove this noise using post-processing by building a point spread function (PSF) model from diversity in time, wavelength, and so-forth are limited to a small improvement due to the evolution of the noise along these same axes. The Calibration 2 (CAL2) system, being built by an international team, is a National Research Council of Canada (NRC) funded facility-class focal plane wavefront sensor for the Gemini Planet Imager 2 (GPI2) upgrade. The project consists of a complete rebuild of the GPI calibration (CAL) system. Based on the self-coherent camera concept and the FAST focal plane mask, a fraction of the near-infrared (NIR) science bandpass is extracted using a new dichroic wheel to perform focal plane wavefront sensing, with the goal to do science while also improving the contrast for the GPI2 IFS, up to a factor of 100x on bright stars. The project is at the final design review stage, and construction is expected to start summer/fall 2024, with assembly late fall 2024, and shipping to the Gemini North observatory middle of 2025.
The CANDLE Engineering Demonstration Unit (EDU) was selected by the 2022 APRA program to develop and demonstrate the ability to reach the flux accuracy and range required for an artificial flux calibration star. A critical issue in producing accurate and reliable flux calibration is systematic effects; this EDU is providing a path to deploying an artificial star calibration payload outside Earth’s atmosphere with SI-traceable calibration that enables accurate throughput characterization of astronomical and earth science observatories in space and on the ground. Such a payload could be carried independently on a dedicated platform such as an orbiting satellite, e.g. the Orbiting Configurable Artificial Star (ORCAS), by a star shade at L2, or some other independent platform to enable accurate end-to-end throughput vs. wavelength calibration that can be measured repeatedly throughout the operational lifetime of an observatory. Once calibrated, the observatory is enabled to carry out astrophysical programs whose science objectives demand high accuracy and/or high precision observations. One specific and immediate application is establishing SI-traceable standard stars beyond the current limited set. We show in this paper the progress made in developing this EDU.
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.
SCALES (Slicer Combined with Array of Lenslets for Exoplanet Spectroscopy) is the next-generation, diffraction-limited, thermal infrared, fully cryogenic, coronagraphic exoplanet spectrograph and imager for W.M. Keck Observatory. SCALES is fed by the Keck II Adaptive Optics bench. Both modes use common fore-optics to simplify the optical design and have individual detectors, which are JWST flight spares. The imager mode operates from 1 to 5 microns with selectable narrow- and broadband filters over a field of view 12.3 arcseconds on a side, and the integral field spectrograph mode operates from 2 to 5 microns with both low and mid spectral resolutions (R∼ 100 to R∼ 7500) over a field of view 2.15 arcseconds on a side. The diamond-turned aluminum optics, most of which are already delivered, with the rest being fabricated, provide low distortion, low wavefront error, and high throughput for all modes. The slicing unit, located behind the lenslet array, allows SCALES to reach heretofore unheard-of spatially-resolved spectral resolution for exoplanet and disc observations from the ground with a coronagraphic integral field spectrograph. The SCALES consortium includes UC Observatories, CalTech, W.M. Keck Observatory, the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, and the University of Durham, with over 40 science team members. We report on the overall design and project status during its ongoing fabrication phase, which started in early 2023.
The Orbiting Configurable Artificial Star (ORCAS) mission in collaboration with the W. M. Keck Observatory (WMKO) is poised to deliver near diffraction limited observations in visible light. The ability to conduct such observations will enable significant scientific discoveries in fields related to Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), Dark Energy, Flux Calibration, the High Redshift Universe, Exoplanets, and the Solar System. The ORCAS team has successfully completed three primary mission development goals to enable such observations. The performance demonstration with the ORCAS Keck Instrument Demonstrator (ORKID) captured arguably the highest resolution image at visible wavelengths from a large (10 meter) segmented telescope on the ground to date. High resolution AO imaging of the galaxy UGC 4729 in Natural Guide Star (NGS) mode was performed by locking onto a foreground asteroid passing nearby, which simulated an observation with a moving guide star validating post processing capabilities and demonstrating how regions unreachable by NGS and LGS could be explored. Additionally, the ORCAS team has successfully locked onto a laser source onboard the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) and closed the adaptive optics loop to perform near diffraction limited imaging at 1550 nm with the Keck 10 meter, the first demonstration of such capability with a large segmented telescope. All of these results validate the feasibility of the ORCAS mission. Following these accomplishments, ORCAS will be strongly positioned to propose a full-scale mission to upcoming opportunities.
The Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) is a dedicated high-contrast imaging facility instrument. After six years, GPI has helped establish that the occurrence rate of Jovian planets peaks near the snow. GPI 2.0 is expected to achieve deeper contrasts, especially at small inner working angles, to extend GPI’s operating range to fainter stars, and to broaden its scientific capabilities. GPI shipped from Gemini South in 2022 and is undergoing an upgrade as part of a relocation to Gemini North. We present the status of the upgrades including replacing the current wavefront sensor with an EMCCD-based pyramid wavefront sensor, adding a broadband low spectral resolution prism, new apodized-pupil Lyot coronagraph designs, upgrades of the calibration wavefront sensor and increased queue operability. Further we discuss the progress of reintegrating these components into the new system and the expected performance improvements in the context of GPI 2.0’s enhanced science capabilities.
The Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) is a high-contrast imaging instrument designed to directly detect and characterize young, Jupiter-mass exoplanets. After six years of operation at Gemini South in Chile, the instrument is being upgraded and relocated to Gemini North in Hawaii as GPI 2.0. GPI helped establish that Jovian-mass planets have a higher occurrence rate at smaller separations, motivating several sub-system upgrades to obtain deeper contrasts (up to 20 times improvement to the current limit), particularly at small inner working angles. This enables access to additional science areas for GPI 2.0, including low-mass stars, young nearby stars, solar system objects, planet formation in disks, and planet variability. The necessary instrumental changes required toenable these new scientific goals are to (i) the adaptive optics system, by replacing the current Shack-Hartmann Wavefront Sensor (WFS) with a pyramid WFS and a custom EMCCD, (ii) the integral field spectrograph, by employing a new set of prisms to enable an additional broadband (Y-K band) low spectral resolution mode, as well as replacing the pupil viewer camera with a faster, lower noise C-RED2 camera (iii) the calibration interferometer, by upgrading the low-order WFS used for internal alignment and on-sky target tracking with a C-RED2 camera and replacing the calibration high-order WFS used for measuring and correcting non-common path aberrations with a self coherent camera, (iv) the apodized-pupil Lyot coronagraph designs and (v) the software, to enable high-efficiency queue operations at Gemini North. GPI 2.0 is expected to go on-sky in early 2024. Here I will present the new scientific goals, the key upgrades, the current status and the latest timeline for operations.
The Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) is a high contrast imaging instrument designed to directly detect and characterize young Jupiter-mass exoplanets. After six years of operation at Gemini South in Chile, the instrument is being upgraded and moved to Gemini North in Hawaii as GPI 2.0. As part of this upgrade, several improvements will be made to the adaptive optics (AO) system. This includes replacing the current Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor (WFS) with a pyramid wavefront sensor (PWFS) and a custom EMCCD. These changes are expected to increase GPI’s sky coverage by accessing fainter targets, improving corrections on fainter stars and allowing faster and ultra-low latency operations on brighter targets. The PWFS subsystem is being independently built and tested to verify its performance before its integration into the GPI 2.0 instrument. In this paper, we will present the design and pre-integration test plan of the PWFS.
As part of the Keck All-sky Precision Adaptive optics (KAPA) project a laser Asterism Generator (AG) is being implemented on the Keck I telescope. The AG provides four Laser Guide Stars (LGS) to the Keck Adaptive Optics (AO) system by splitting a single 22W laser beam into four beams of equal intensity. We present the design and implementation of the AG for KAPA. We discuss the optical design and layout, the details of the mechanical design and fabrication, and the challenges of designing the assembly to fit into the limited available space on the Keck telescope.
GPI is a facility instrument designed for the direct detection and characterization of young Jupiter mass exoplanets. GPI has helped establish that the occurrence rate of Jovian planets peaks near the snow line (~3 AU), and falls off toward larger separations. This motivates an upgrade of GPI to achieve deeper contrasts, especially at small inner working angles, to extend GPI’s operating range to fainter stars, and to broaden its scientific capabilities, all while leveraging its historical success. GPI was packed and shipped in 2022, and is undergoing a major science-driven upgrade. We present the status and purpose of the upgrades including an EMCCD-based pyramid wavefront sensor, broadband low spectral resolution prisms, new apodized-pupil Lyot coronagraph designs, upgrades of the calibration wavefront sensor and increased queue operability. We discuss the expected performance improvements and enhanced science capabilities to be made available in 2024.
We present the design of SCALES (Slicer Combined with Array of Lenslets for Exoplanet Spectroscopy) a new 2-5 micron coronagraphic integral field spectrograph under construction for Keck Observatory. SCALES enables low-resolution (R∼50) spectroscopy, as well as medium-resolution (R∼4,000) spectroscopy with the goal of discovering and characterizing cold exoplanets that are brightest in the thermal infrared. Additionally, SCALES has a 12x12” field-of-view imager that will be used for general adaptive optics science at Keck. We present SCALES’s specifications, its science case, its overall design, and simulations of its expected performance. Additionally, we present progress on procuring, fabricating and testing long lead-time components.
After more than six years of successful operation at Gemini South, the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) will be moved to Gemini-North. During this move, the instrument will undergo a series of upgrades. One of these upgrades will be the installation of a new pyramid wavefront sensor (PWFS) with a low noise EMCCD detector that will replace the current Shack-Hartmann WFS. This upgrade is expected to significantly increase the sky coverage of GPI, providing increased level of AO correction and access to fainter targets. The new PWFS will be assembled on a standalone bench that will be aligned and tested independent of the GPI to ensure the required performance is achieved. Once the performance is verified, the completed subassembly will be installed in place of the current WFS hardware during the final integration into the GPI. In this paper, we will present the final design of the new GPI PWFS. Included will be a description of the optical performance simulations completed and their results, and a detailed overview of the opto-mechanical design of the new PWFS bench.
The Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) is a dedicated high-contrast imaging facility designed for the direct detection and characterization of young Jupiter mass exoplanets. After six yrs of operation at Gemini South, GPI has helped establish that Jovian planets are rare at wide separations, but have higher occurrence rates at small separations. This motivates an upgrade of GPI to achieve deeper contrasts, especially at small inner working angles, while leveraging its current capabilities. GPI has been funded to undergo a major science-driven upgrade as part of a relocation to Gemini North (GN). Gemini plans to remove GPI at the end of 2020A. We present the status of the proposed upgrades to GPI including a EMCCD-based pyramid wavefront sensor, broadband low spectral resolution prisms and new apodized-pupil Lyot coronagraph designs. We discuss the expected performance improvements in the context of GPI 2.0's enhanced science capabilities which are scheduled to be made available at GN in 2022.
In this paper we discuss the mechanical design of the GIRMOS Cryostat. GIRMOS is an adaptive optics fed multi-object Integral-Field Spectrograph with a parallel imaging capability and will be installed at the Gemini North Observatory. This instrument includes four separate identical spectrograph channels arranged symmetrically around the central axis of the instrument which provide it its multiplexing capability. Each spectrograph channel starts off at the object selection mechanism. The object selection mechanism contains four motorized fold mirror assemblies which scan the incoming light from the telescope to look at four separate objects simultaneously or combine their efforts to look at a single object in a tiled mode. Each of the four individual beams from the object selection system are then directed into the instrument dewar via separate entrance windows. Within the dewar each IFS beam moves through an anamorphic relay, an optical image slicer assembly and eventually makes it to a Spectrograph unit. All of these assemblies are located on a single cold bench within the dewar. The instrument imager is located along the central axis of the dewar and is housed in the cold bench as well. In this paper we will provide some details regarding the Cryostat design, the mechanical packaging of the IFS and imager along with some of the thermal load mitigation techniques employed. We will also discuss some key performance requirements that were expected from the Cryostat and the design choices we made in order to achieve them.
This paper presents an overview of a step scanning mechanism employing a flexure stage coupled with a dynamically aligned mirror used in the SpIOMM (Spectrometre Imageur de l'Observatoire du Mont Megantic) instrument, an Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (IFTS) concept for ground based telescopes produced in collaboration with ABB and Universite Laval. This instrument can acquire spectra of variable resolutions up to R = λ/Δλ = 10 000 from the near UV to the near IR (350 nm to 900 nm). It is designed to fit the f/8 focus of the Mont Megantic (Quebec, Canada) 1.6m optical telescope. The innovative aspect of this instrument compared to other imaging spectrometers is the spatial coverage. The FOV covers spans of 12 arc minutes in diameter with a pixel sampling of 0.55 arc seconds. Hence spectra of more than a million scene elements are acquired at each measurement.
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