Back-and-forth spectroscopy: optimization of an optical nod-and-shuffle technique to reach fainter objects and increase the multiplex gain on multi-object spectrographs

Jean-Charles Cuillandre; Bernard Pierre Fort; Jean-Pierre Picat; Genevieve Soucail

doi:10.1117/12.476737

7 March 2003 Back and forth spectroscopy: optimization of an optical nod-and-shuffle technique to reach fainter objects and increase the multiplex gain on multi-object spectrographs

Jean-Charles Cuillandre, Bernard Pierre Fort, Jean-Pierre Picat, Genevieve Soucail

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 4841, Instrument Design and Performance for Optical/Infrared Ground-based Telescopes; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.476737
Event: Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, 2002, Waikoloa, Hawai'i, United States

Abstract

Back on several on-sky tests using the Multi-Object Spectrography at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, we present refinements of the faint objects optical spectroscopy technique we proposed in 1994 (initially names "Va-et-Vient" = "Back-and-Forth"), a nod-and-shuttle technique that preserves a sky dominated photon noise regime. We validated schemes that allow 100% of the total telescope time used to integrate the light from the scientific objects. We also investigated how to optimize the configuration of the charge sifting in order to use minimal space on the detector. For typical distant galaxy fields (profile dominated by seeing), we demonstrated an increase by a factor of approximately 2 of the multiplex gain and even higher for more compact sources. The technique proves perfectly apt at eliminating all the systemic errors that may cause the saturation of the signal-to-noise ratio: slit defects, CCD fringing, and flat-field residuals. This technique is also the most efficient and unique approach to use curved slits.

Citation Download Citation

Jean-Charles Cuillandre, Bernard Pierre Fort, Jean-Pierre Picat, and Genevieve Soucail "Back and forth spectroscopy: optimization of an optical nod-and-shuffle technique to reach fainter objects and increase the multiplex gain on multi-object spectrographs", Proc. SPIE 4841, Instrument Design and Performance for Optical/Infrared Ground-based Telescopes, (7 March 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.476737

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