The NIR upgrade to the SALT Robert Stobie Spectrograph

Andrew I. Sheinis; Marsha J. Wolf; Matthew A. Bershady; David A. H. Buckley; Kenneth H. Nordsieck; Ted B. Williams

doi:10.1117/12.673533

28 June 2006 The NIR upgrade to the SALT Robert Stobie Spectrograph

Andrew I. Sheinis, Marsha J. Wolf, Matthew A. Bershady, David A. H. Buckley, Kenneth H. Nordsieck, Ted B. Williams

Proceedings Volume 6269, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy; 62694T (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.673533
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2006, Orlando, Florida , United States

Abstract

The near infrared (NIR) upgrade to the Robert Stobie Spectrograph (RSS) on the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), RSS/NIR, extends the spectral coverage of all modes of the visible arm. The RSS/NIR is a low to medium resolution spectrograph with broadband imaging, spectropolarimetric, and Fabry-Perot imaging capabilities. The visible and NIR arms can be used simultaneously to extend spectral coverage from approximately 3200 Å to 1.6 μm. Both arms utilize high efficiency volume phase holographic gratings via articulating gratings and cameras. The NIR camera is designed around a 2048x2048 HAWAII-2RG detector housed in a cryogenic dewar. The Epps optical design of the camera consists of 6 spherical elements, providing sub-pixel rms image sizes of 7.5 ± 1.0 μm over all wavelengths and field angles. The exact long wavelength cutoff is yet to be determined in a detailed thermal analysis and will depend on the semi-warm instrument cooling scheme. Initial estimates place instrument limiting magnitudes at J = 23.4 and H(1.4-1.6 μm) = 21.6 for S/N = 3 in a 1 hour exposure well below the sky noise.

Citation Download Citation

Andrew I. Sheinis, Marsha J. Wolf, Matthew A. Bershady, David A. H. Buckley, Kenneth H. Nordsieck, and Ted B. Williams "The NIR upgrade to the SALT Robert Stobie Spectrograph", Proc. SPIE 6269, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy, 62694T (28 June 2006); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.673533

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