Dr. Luca Pasquini Profile

Dr. Luca Pasquini

at European Southern Observatory

SPIE Involvement:

Author

Publications (54)

PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | July 9, 2018

VLTI status update: three years into the second generation

Proc. SPIE. 10701, Optical and Infrared Interferometry and Imaging VI

KEYWORDS: Telescopes, Metrology, Stars, Interferometers, Adaptive optics

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | July 9, 2018

CRIRES+ on its way to VLT (Conference Presentation)

Proc. SPIE. 10702, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VII

KEYWORDS: Staring arrays, Observatories, Telescopes, Sensors, Calibration, Adaptive optics, Space telescopes, Spectral resolution, Large telescopes, Space operations

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | July 9, 2018

NAOMI: the adaptive optics for the auxiliary telescopes of VLTI

Proc. SPIE. 10701, Optical and Infrared Interferometry and Imaging VI

KEYWORDS: Telescopes, Mirrors, Interferometers, Sensors, Interferometry, Wavefronts, Adaptive optics, Deformable mirrors, Real-time computing

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | July 9, 2018

MATISSE: performance in laboratory, results of AIV in Paranal, and first results on sky

Proc. SPIE. 10701, Optical and Infrared Interferometry and Imaging VI

KEYWORDS: Photovoltaics, Telescopes, Spatial filters, Sensors, Calibration, Interferometry, L band, Spectral resolution, Astatine, Visibility

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MATISSE (Multi AperTure mid-Infrared SpectroScopic Experiment) is the spectro-interferometer for the VLTI of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), operating in the L-, M- and N- spectral bands, and combining up to four beams from the unit or the auxiliary telescopes (UTs or ATs). MATISSE will offer new breakthroughs in the study of circumstellar environments by allowing the mapping of the material distribution, the gas and essentially the dust. The instrument consists in a warm optical system (WOP) accepting four beams from the VLTI and relaying them after a spectral splitting to cold optical benches (COB) located in two separate cryostats, one in L-M- band, and one in N-band. The test plan of the complete instrument has been conducted at the Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur in order to confirm the compliance of the performance with the high-level requirements. MATISSE has successfully passed the Preliminary Acceptance in Europe the 12th September 2017. Following this result, ESO gave approval for the instrument to be shipped to Paranal. The Alignment, Integration and Verification phase was conducted until end of February 2018, at the end of which first observations on sky have been performed to test the operations with the VLTI and to obtain first stellar light. The two first runs of the commissioning followed, respectively in March and in May 2018. It has the goal to optimize the MATISSE-VLTI communication, the acquisition procedures and the interface parameters. The observations were performed on bright L-M- and N- stars, with four ATs located on short baselines and UTs. The limit magnitudes will be deduced.

This paper reports on the performance of the instrument measured in laboratory (results of test plan in Nice and AIV in Paranal) in terms of spectral coverage, dispersion laws and spectral resolutions, and transfer function analysis: instrumental contrast, visibility accuracy, accuracy of the differential phase, of the closure-phase and of the differential visibility. It also provides results of the first tests on sky and the planning of the on-going commissioning.

PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | July 9, 2018

Very accurate cryogenic mechanisms for CRIRES+

Proc. SPIE. 10701, Optical and Infrared Interferometry and Imaging VI

KEYWORDS: Actuators, Mirrors, Spectrographs, Switches, Sensors, Manufacturing, Transducers, Connectors, Cryogenics, Cryogenic mechanisms

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | July 6, 2018

A unique infrared spectropolarimetric unit for CRIRES+

Proc. SPIE. 10702, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VII

KEYWORDS: Telescopes, Stars, Polarization, Sensors, Manufacturing, Magnetism, Adaptive optics, Infrared spectroscopy, Transmittance, Infrared radiation

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High-resolution infrared spectropolarimetry has many science applications in astrophysics. One of them is measuring weak magnetic fields using the Zeeman effect. Infrared domain is particularly advantageous as Zeeman splitting of spectral lines is proportional to the square of the wavelength while the intrinsic width of the line cores increases only linearly. Important science cases include detection and monitoring of global magnetic fields on solar-type stars, study of the magnetic field evolution from stellar formation to the final stages of the stellar life with massive stellar winds, and the dynamo mechanism operation across the boundary between fully- and partially-convective stars. CRIRES+ (the CRIRES upgrade project) includes a novel spectropolarimetric unit (SPU) based on polar- ization gratings. The novel design allows to perform beam-splitting very early in the optical path, directly after the tertiary mirror of the telescope (the ESO Very Large Telescope, VLT), minimizing instrumental polariza- tion. The new SPU performs polarization beam-splitting in the near-infrared while keeping the telescope beam mostly unchanged in the optical domain, making it compatible with the adaptive optics system of the CRIRES+ instrument. The SPU consists of four beam-splitters optimized for measuring circular and linear polarization of spectral lines in YJ and HK bands. The SPU can perform beam switching allowing to correct for throughput in each beam and for variations in detector pixel sensitivity. Other new features of CRIRES+, such as substantially increased wavelength coverage, stability and advanced data reduction pipeline will further enhance the sensitivity of the polarimetric mode. The combination of the SPU, CRIRES+ and the VLT is a unique facility for making major progress in understanding stellar activity. In this article we present the design of the SPU, laboratory measurements of individual components and of the whole unit as well as the performance prediction for the operation at the VLT.

PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | July 6, 2018

Full system test and early preliminary acceptance Europe results for CRIRES+

Proc. SPIE. 10702, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VII

KEYWORDS: Spectrographs, Fabry–Perot interferometers, Metrology, Calibration, Adaptive optics, Detector arrays, Cryogenics

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | July 6, 2018

A concept for a new spectroscopic facility

Proc. SPIE. 10700, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes VII

KEYWORDS: Telescopes, Mirrors, Spectrographs, Cameras, Sensors, Spectroscopy, Optical instrument design, Large Synoptic Survey Telescope

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | July 6, 2018

The ESO Paranal Instrumentation Programme

Proc. SPIE. 10702, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VII

KEYWORDS: Observatories, Telescopes, Spectrographs, Imaging systems, Sensors, Adaptive optics, Image quality, Neodymium, Lanthanum, Astatine

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | August 9, 2016

The "+" for CRIRES: enabling better science at infrared wavelength and high spectral resolution at the ESO VLT

Proc. SPIE. 9908, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VI

KEYWORDS: Mirrors, Spectrographs, Spectrographs, Stars, Polarization, Cameras, Sensors, Calibration, Adaptive optics, Spectral resolution, Spectral resolution, Infrared radiation, Infrared radiation

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | August 9, 2016

Relative stability of two laser frequency combs for routine operation on HARPS and FOCES

Proc. SPIE. 9908, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VI

KEYWORDS: Multimode fibers, Observatories, Telescopes, Spectrographs, Astronomy, Calibration, Lamps, Frequency combs, Lanthanum, Precision calibration

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | August 4, 2016

VLT interferometer upgrade for the 2nd generation of interferometric instruments

Proc. SPIE. 9907, Optical and Infrared Interferometry and Imaging V

KEYWORDS: Mid-IR, Telescopes, Mirrors, Stars, Interferometers, Sensors, Interferometry, Interferometry, Adaptive optics, Infrared radiation, Astatine

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | August 4, 2016

NAOMI: a low-order adaptive optics system for the VLT interferometer

Proc. SPIE. 9907, Optical and Infrared Interferometry and Imaging V

KEYWORDS: Actuators, Telescopes, Mirrors, Stars, Interferometry, Adaptive optics, Deformable mirrors, Relays, Real-time computing, Astatine

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | August 3, 2016

The ESO Paranal instrumentation program

Proc. SPIE. 9908, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VI

KEYWORDS: Observatories, Telescopes, Spectrographs, Optical spheres, Imaging systems, Sensors, Adaptive optics, Spectral resolution, Lanthanum, Astatine

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | August 1, 2016

Characterizing the cross dispersion reflection gratings of CRIRES+

Proc. SPIE. 9912, Advances in Optical and Mechanical Technologies for Telescopes and Instrumentation II

KEYWORDS: Mirrors, Spectrographs, Optical design, Polarization, Sensors, Polarizers, Infrared spectroscopy, Infrared spectroscopy, Infrared telescopes, Mirror mounts, Signal detection

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | July 27, 2016

New telescope designs suitable for massively multiplexed spectroscopy

Proc. SPIE. 9906, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes VI

KEYWORDS: Telescopes, Mirrors, Spectrographs, Cameras, Space telescopes, Relays, Aspheric lenses, Telescope design, Optical instrument design, Spectroscopes

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | July 28, 2014

Novel infrared polarimeter for the ESO CRIRES+ instrument

Proc. SPIE. 9147, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V

KEYWORDS: Telescopes, Beam splitters, Polarization, Sensors, Polarimetry, Adaptive optics, Infrared radiation, Monochromators, Infrared telescopes, Prototyping

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | July 24, 2014

Concept and optical design of the cross-disperser module for CRIRES+

Proc. SPIE. 9147, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V

KEYWORDS: Optical components, Optical filters, Mirrors, Optical design, Cameras, Sensors, Spectroscopy, Coating, Infrared spectroscopy, Tolerancing

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | July 24, 2014

NAOMI: a new adaptive optics module for interferometry

Proc. SPIE. 9146, Optical and Infrared Interferometry IV

KEYWORDS: Telescopes, Mirrors, Stars, Cameras, Sensors, Interferometry, Wavefront sensors, Adaptive optics, Real-time computing, Astatine

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | July 24, 2014

Opto-mechanical design of a new cross dispersion unit for the CRIRES+ high resolution spectrograph for the VLT

Proc. SPIE. 9147, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V

KEYWORDS: Optomechanical design, Mirrors, Spectrographs, Optical design, Lenses, Cameras, Sensors, Interfaces, Aluminum, Cryogenics

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | July 8, 2014

A laser frequency comb featuring sub-cm/s precision for routine operation on HARPS

Proc. SPIE. 9147, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V

KEYWORDS: Fiber amplifiers, Optical filters, Spectrographs, Astronomy, Continuous wave operation, Calibration, Linear filtering, Fiber lasers, Frequency combs, Charge-coupled devices

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | July 8, 2014

CRIRES+: a cross-dispersed high-resolution infrared spectrograph for the ESO VLT

Proc. SPIE. 9147, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V

KEYWORDS: Spectrographs, Stars, Sensors, Calibration, Magnetism, Adaptive optics, Infrared spectroscopy, Infrared radiation, Planets, Absorption

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | July 8, 2014

Paranal instrumentation programme

Proc. SPIE. 9147, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V

KEYWORDS: Observatories, Telescopes, Spectrographs, Astronomy, Interferometers, Sensors, Adaptive optics, Image quality, Large telescopes, Lanthanum

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | September 25, 2012

CODEX optical stability under microvibration environment: Is the Nasmith focal station suitable or not?

Proc. SPIE. 8449, Modeling, Systems Engineering, and Project Management for Astronomy V

KEYWORDS: Optical components, Mirrors, MATLAB, Vibrometry, Frequency modulation, Fermium, Optical isolators, Systems modeling, Content addressable memory, Instrument modeling

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | September 24, 2012

Overview of the ESO instrumentation programme

Proc. SPIE. 8446, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy IV

KEYWORDS: Observatories, Telescopes, Sensors, Spectroscopy, Interferometry, Imaging spectroscopy, Adaptive optics, Charge-coupled devices, Planets, Spectroscopes

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | September 24, 2012

Achieving a few cm/sec calibration repeatability for high resolution spectrographs: the laser frequency comb on HARPS

Proc. SPIE. 8446, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy IV

KEYWORDS: Telescopes, Spectrographs, Astronomy, Stars, Calibration, Lamps, Frequency combs, High power fiber amplifiers, Planets, Prototyping

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | September 24, 2012

The La Silla-Paranal (LSP) instrumentation program

Proc. SPIE. 8446, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy IV

KEYWORDS: Observatories, Telescopes, Astronomy, Optical spheres, Imaging spectroscopy, Adaptive optics, Space telescopes, Lanthanum, Spectroscopes, James Webb Space Telescope

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | August 5, 2010

The MUSE project from the dream toward reality

Proc. SPIE. 7738, Modeling, Systems Engineering, and Project Management for Astronomy IV

KEYWORDS: Spectrographs, Optical design, Sensors, Interfaces, Manufacturing, Control systems, Detector development, Software development, Spectroscopes, Prototyping

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PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | July 20, 2010

Ultrastable operation of detectors for high-resolution spectrographs

Proc. SPIE. 7739, Modern Technologies in Space- and Ground-based Telescopes and Instrumentation

KEYWORDS: Spectrographs, Sensors, Calibration, Computing systems, Sensor performance, Detector development, Spectral resolution, Charge-coupled devices, Velocity measurements, Environmental sensing

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