Mechanical design evolution of the VIRUS instrument for volume production and deployment

Brian L. Vattiat; Gary J. Hill; J. L. Marshall; D. L. DePoy; Svend Bauer; Andreas Kelz; M. D. Rafal; Richard Savage; John Good; John A. Booth; M. P. Smith; Travis Prochaska; Richard D. Allen

doi:10.1117/12.857314

20 July 2010 Mechanical design evolution of the VIRUS instrument for volume production and deployment

Brian L. Vattiat, Gary J. Hill, J. L. Marshall, D. L. DePoy, Svend Bauer, Andreas Kelz, M. D. Rafal, Richard Savage, John Good, John A. Booth, M. P. Smith, Travis Prochaska, Richard D. Allen

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 7735, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III; 773575 (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.857314
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2010, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The Visible Integral-Field Replicable Unit Spectrograph (VIRUS) is an integral field spectrograph to support observations for the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX). The VIRUS instrument is fed by more than 33,000 optical fibers and consists of 150 spectrographs in 75 individual, identical units. This paper discusses the evolution in mechanical design of the VIRUS unit spectrographs to maximize the cost benefit from volume production. Design features which enable volume manufacture and assembly are discussed. Strategies for reducing part count while enabling precision alignment are detailed. Design considerations for deployment, operation, and maintenance en mass at the Hobby-Eberly Telescope are also made. In addition, several enabling technologies are described including the use of cast aluminum in vacuum housings, use of cast Invar, and processing cast parts for precision tolerances.

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Brian L. Vattiat, Gary J. Hill, J. L. Marshall, D. L. DePoy, Svend Bauer, Andreas Kelz, M. D. Rafal, Richard Savage, John Good, John A. Booth, M. P. Smith, Travis Prochaska, and Richard D. Allen "Mechanical design evolution of the VIRUS instrument for volume production and deployment", Proc. SPIE 7735, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III, 773575 (20 July 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.857314

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