Improved design and prototyping for a 10/20-um camera/spectrometer for ESO's VLT

Hans-Ulrich Kaeufl; Bernard Delabre

doi:10.1117/12.176795

1 June 1994 Improved design and prototyping for a 10/20-um camera/spectrometer for ESO's VLT

Hans-Ulrich Kaeufl, Bernard Delabre

Proceedings Volume 2198, Instrumentation in Astronomy VIII; (1994) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.176795
Event: 1994 Symposium on Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation for the 21st Century, 1994, Kailua, Kona, HI, United States

Abstract

The Cassegrain focus of the 2nd unit telescope of ESO's VLT shall be equipped with a 10/20 micrometers camera spectrometer. This instrument shall be built by a consortium of institutes from ESO's member-states responsible for the final design. Still rather detailed internal studies were required to assess the overall scope of work, the repercussions on the telescope design and the required infrastructure at ESO. The internal studies have resulted in a multimode instrument allowing for diffraction limited imaging with variable magnification at 10/20 micrometers , low-, medium- plus potentially high-resolution long slit spectroscopy (approaching or exceeding (lambda) divided by (Delta) (lambda) approximately equals 50000). The optical design allows to take advantage of the rapid evolution in the field of detectors. Novel design features are an exchangeable entrance window, an anamorphic beam expansion and potentially the use of immersion gratings. At the La Silla observatory TIMMI, a small 10 micrometers camera/spectrometer for the 3.6 m telescope (built by the Service d'Astrophysique, CEN- Saclay, France) is in operation to allow both ESO and its community to gain practical experience in astronomy in the 10 micrometers atmospheric window. This instrument is currently equipped with a 64x64 element Ga:Si array. A 128x196 element array is presently in development at Leti/LIR of Grenoble, France, which may be used to upgrade ESO's current observing capabilities. Spectroscopy in TIMMI utilizes Germanium grisms machined via anisotropic etching. This manufacturing technology may also serve to fabricate immersion gratings from high index materials.

Citation Download Citation

Hans-Ulrich Kaeufl and Bernard Delabre "Improved design and prototyping for a 10/20-um camera/spectrometer for ESO's VLT", Proc. SPIE 2198, Instrumentation in Astronomy VIII, (1 June 1994); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.176795

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