This research explores the potential of machine learning and neural networks in recognizing the input features of aberrated wavefronts transmitted through multimode optical fibers, in view of applications for wavefront sensing in ground-based telescopes. Recent studies highlight the efficacy of multimode fibers for imaging and sensing, suggesting neural networks’ effectiveness in mapping relationships between output distortions and input wavefront aberrations. The initial step of our study concerned multimode fiber propagation simulations. An input Gaussian beam was distorted with known aberrations and then sent through the fiber to analyze the effects on the output. This groundwork was used to train and validate a Convolutional Neural Network architecture. Its main role was to understand, from output images, which type of aberration was superimposed in input. We obtained promising results with test accuracy of 85% and 87%, while achieving good performance in network training and generalization.
The first generation of ELT instruments includes an optical-infrared High Resolution Spectrograph, formerly indicated as ELT-HIRES and recently christened ANDES (ArmazoNes high Dispersion Echelle Spectrograph). This paper describes the design of the fiber link that carries the light from the telescope to the spectrometers via several selectable optical paths that in turn define the two baseline observing modes of the instrument, namely: – Seeing limited observing mode, where the light from the ELT is collected by two large fibers (~0.8" sky projected diameter) and is uniformly redistributed into smaller fibers that terminate in a linear structure aligned along the spectrometer slit. – Integral field (IFU) observing mode, where the focal plane of the ELT is reimaged at different scales (down to the diffraction limit) and fed into a bundle of fibers that covers a small hexagonal field of view and terminate in a linear structure aligned along the spectrometer slit.
The Atmospheric Remote-Sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large Survey (Ariel) is the M4 mission adopted by ESA’s ”Cosmic Vision” program. Its launch is scheduled for 2029. The purpose of the mission is the study of exoplanetary atmospheres on a target of ∼ 1000 exoplanets. Ariel scientific payload consists of an off-axis, unobscured Cassegrain telescope. The light is directed towards a set of photometers and spectrometers with wavebands between 0.5 and 7.8 µm and operating at cryogenic temperatures. The Ariel Space Telescope consists of a primary parabolic mirror with an elliptical aperture of 1.1· 0.7 m, followed by a hyperbolic secondary, a parabolic collimating tertiary and a flat-folding mirror directing the output beam parallel to the optical bench; all in bare aluminium. The choice of bare aluminium for the realization of the mirrors is dictated by several factors: maximizing the heat exchange, reducing the costs of materials and technological advancement. To date, an aluminium mirror the size of Ariel’s primary has never been made. The greatest challenge is finding a heat treatment procedure that stabilizes the aluminium, particularly the Al6061T651 Laminated alloy. This paper describes the study and testing of the heat treatment procedure developed on aluminium samples of different sizes (from 50mm to 150mm diameter), on 0.7m diameter mirror, and discusses future steps.
KEYWORDS: Field programmable gate arrays, Electronics, Data processing, Power supplies, Image processing, Infrared imaging, Space telescopes, Exoplanets, Infrared spectroscopy, Photometry
ARIEL is an ESA mission whose scientific goal is to investigate exoplanetary atmospheres. The payload is composed by two instruments: AIRS (ARIEL IR Spectrometer) and FGS (Fine Guidance System). The FGS detection chain is composed by two HgCdTe detectors and by the cold Front End Electronics (SIDECAR), kept at cryogenic temperatures, interfacing with the F-DCU (FGS Detector Control Unit) boards that we will describe thoroughly in this paper. The F-DCU are situated in the warm side of the payload in a box called FCU (FGS Control Unit) and contribute to the FGS VIS/NIR imaging and NIR spectroscopy. The F-DCU performs several tasks: drives the detectors, processes science data and housekeeping telemetries, manages the commands exchange between the FGS/DPU (Data Processing Unit) and the SIDECARs and provides high quality voltages to the detectors. This paper reports the F-DCU status, describing its architecture, the operation and the activities, past and future necessary for its development.
Ariel (Atmospheric Remote-Sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large Survey) is the adopted M4 mission in the framework of the ESA “Cosmic Vision” program. Its purpose is to conduct a survey of the atmospheres of known exoplanets through transit spectroscopy. Launch is scheduled for 2029. Ariel scientific payload consists of an off-axis, unobscured Cassegrain telescope feeding a set of photometers and spectrometers in the waveband between 0.5 and 7.8 µm and operating at cryogenic temperatures (55 K). The Telescope Assembly is based on an innovative fully-aluminum design to tolerate thermal variations avoiding impacts on the optical performance; it consists of a primary parabolic mirror with an elliptical aperture of 1.1 m of major axis, followed by a hyperbolic secondary that is mounted on a refocusing system, a parabolic re-collimating tertiary and a flat folding mirror directing the output beam parallel to the optical bench. An innovative mounting system based on 3 flexure-hinges supports the primary mirror on one side of the optical bench. The instrument bay on the other side of the optical bench houses the Ariel IR Spectrometer (AIRS) and the Fine Guidance System / NIR Spectrometer (FGS/NIRSpec). The Telescope Assembly is in phase B2 towards the Preliminary Design Review to start the fabrication of the structural model; some components, i.e., the primary mirror, its mounting system and the refocusing mechanism, are undergoing further development activities to increase their readiness level. This paper describes the design and development of the ARIEL Telescope Assembly.
Ariel (Atmospheric Remote-Sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large Survey) is the adopted M4 mission of ESA “Cosmic Vision” program. Its purpose is to conduct a survey of the atmospheres of known exoplanets through transit spectroscopy. Launch is scheduled for 2029. Ariel scientific payload consists of an off-axis, unobscured Cassegrain telescope feeding a set of photometers and spectrometers in the waveband between 0.5 and 7.8 μm, and operating at cryogenic temperatures. The Ariel Telescope consists of a primary parabolic mirror (M1) with an elliptical aperture of 1.1 m of major axis and 0.7 m of minor axis, followed by a hyperbolic secondary (M2) , a parabolic recollimating tertiary (M3) and a flat folding mirror (M4). The Primary mirror is a very innovative device made of lightened aluminum. Aluminum mirrors for cryogenic instruments and for space application are already in use, but never before now it has been attempted the creation of such a large mirror made entirely of aluminum: this means that the production process must be completely revised and finetuned, finding new solutions, studying the thermal processes and paying a great care to the quality check. By the way, the advantages are many: thermal stabilization is simpler than with mirrors made of other materials based on glass or composite materials, the cost of the material is negligable, the shape may be free and the possibility of making all parts of the telescope, from optical surfaces to the structural parts, of the same material guarantees a perfect alignment at whichever temperature. This paper describes the methodology and preliminary results of this manufacturing process and discusses future steps.
ARIEL (Atmospheric Remote-sensing InfraRed Large-survey) is a medium-class mission of the European Space Agency, part of the Cosmic Vision program, whose launch is foreseen by early 2029. ARIEL aims to study the composition of exoplanet atmospheres, their formation and evolution. The ARIEL’s target will be a sample of about 1000 planets observed with one or more of the following methods: transit, eclipse and phase-curve spectroscopy, at both visible and infrared wavelengths simultaneously. The scientific payload is composed by a reflective telescope having a 1m-class elliptical primary mirror, built in solid Aluminium, and two focal-plane instruments: FGS and AIRS. FGS (Fine Guidance System)1 has the double purpose, as suggested by its name, of performing photometry (0.50-0.55 μm) and low resolution spectrometry over three bands (from 0.8 to 1.95 µm) and, simultaneously, to provide data to the spacecraft AOCS (Attitude and Orbit Control System) with a cadence of 10 Hz and contributing to reach a 0.02 arcsec pointing accuracy for bright targets. AIRS (ARIEL InfraRed Spectrometer) instrument will perform IR spectrometry in two wavelength ranges: between 1.95 and 3.9 μm (with a spectral resolution R < 100) and between 3.9 and 7.8 μm with a spectral resolution R < 30. This paper provides the status of the ICU (Instrument Control Unit), an electronic box whose purpose is to command and supply power to AIRS (as well as acquire science data from its two channels) and to command and control the TCU (Telescope Control Unit).
Ariel (Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey) is an ESA M class mission aimed at the study of exoplanets. The satellite will orbit in the lagrangian point L2 and will survey a sample of 1000 exoplanets simultaneously in visible and infrared wavelengths. The challenging scientific goal of Ariel implies unprecedented engineering efforts to satisfy the severe requirements coming from the science in terms of accuracy. The most important specification – an all-Aluminum telescope – requires very accurate design of the primary mirror (M1), a novel, off-set paraboloid honeycomb mirror with ribs, edge, and reflective surface. To validate such a mirror, some tests were carried out on a prototype – namely Pathfinder Telescope Mirror (PTM) – built specifically for this purpose. These tests, carried out at the Centre Spatial de Liège in Belgium – revealed an unexpected deformation of the reflecting surface exceeding a peek-to-valley of 1µm. Consequently, the test had to be re-run, to identify systematic errors and correct the setting for future tests on the final prototype M1. To avoid the very expensive procedure of developing a new prototype and testing it both at room and cryogenic temperatures, it was decided to carry out some numerical simulations. These analyses allowed first to recognize and understand the reasoning behind the faults occurred during the testing phase, and later to apply the obtained knowledge to a new M1 design to set a defined guideline for future testing campaigns.
In wide-field telescopes, relatively small misalignments in the optical system can cause large aberrations. The nominal system is normally designed to show a good optical performance over the whole field of view but, in presence of misalignments, the symmetry is broken and the aberrations increase towards the edge of the field. No new aberrations arise, but the known aberrations behave differently and originate multiple nodes, according to the Nodal Aberration Theory. The effects, in terms of image quality degradation, can be especially deleterious for wide-field imagers. This issue can be studied in detail by the ray-tracing programs that are normally adopted for the optical design. Nevertheless, these codes are not optimal for applications where a high execution speed is needed. Here, an application of PSF reconstruction for a wide-field telescope by using an integrated modeling approach is presented. Ray-tracing data are adopted as input to build a fully analytical model. The example of the VST telescope (1x1 deg field of view) is discussed as a case study.
GIANO-B is the high resolution near-infrared (NIR) spectrograph of the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG), which started its regular operations in October 2017. Here we present GIANO-B Online Data Reduction Software (DRS) operating at the Telescope.
GIANO-B Online DRS is a complete end-to-end solution for the spectrograph real-time data handling. The Online DRS provides management, processing and archival of GIANO-B scientific and calibration data. Once the instrument control software acquires the exposure ramp segments from the detector, the DRS ensures the complete data flow until the final data products are ingested into the science archive. A part of the Online DRS is GOFIO software, which performs the reduction process from ramp-processed 2D spectra to extracted and calibrated 1D spectra.
A User Interface (UI) developed as a part of the Online DRS provides basic information on the final reduced data, thus allowing the observer to take decisions in real-time during the night and adjust the observational strategy as needed.
GIARPS (GIAno and haRPS) is a project devoted to have on the same focal station of the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) both high resolution spectrographs, HARPS–N (VIS) and GIANO–B (NIR), working simultaneously. This could be considered the first and unique worldwide instrument providing cross-dispersed echelle spectroscopy at a resolution of 50,000 in the NIR range and 115,000 in the VIS and over in a wide spectral range (0.383−2.45 μm) in a single exposure. The science case is very broad, given the versatility of such an instrument and its large wavelength range. A number of outstanding science cases encompassing mainly extra-solar planet science starting from rocky planets search and hot Jupiters to atmosphere characterization can be considered. Furthermore both instruments can measure high precision radial velocities by means the simultaneous thorium technique (HARPS–N) and absorbing cell technique (GIANO–B) in a single exposure. Other science cases are also possible. GIARPS, as a brand new observing mode of the TNG started after the moving of GIANO–A (fiber fed spectrograph) from Nasmyth–A to Nasmyth–B where it was re–born as GIANO–B (no more fiber feed spectrograph). The official Commissioning finished on March 2017 and then it was offered to the community. Despite the work is not finished yet. In this paper we describe the preliminary scientific results obtained with GIANO–B and GIARPS observing mode with data taken during commissioning and first open time observations.
KEYWORDS: Calibration, Lamps, Sensors, Spectrographs, Signal to noise ratio, Infrared radiation, Spectroscopy, Signal detection, Data processing, Near infrared spectroscopy
The NIR echelle spectrograph GIANO-B at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo is equipped with a fully automated online DRS: part of this pipeline is the GOFIO reduction software, that processes all the observed data, from the calibrations to the nodding or stare images. GOFIO reduction process includes bad pixel and cosmic removal, flat-field and blaze correction, optimal extraction, wavelength calibration, nodding or stare group processing. An offline version of GOFIO will allow the users to adapt the reduction to their needs, and to compute the radial velocity using telluric lines as a reference system. GIANO-B may be used simultaneously with HARPS-N in the GIARPS observing mode to obtain high-resolution spectra in a wide wavelength range (383-2450 nm) with a single acquisition. In this framework, GOFIO, as part of the online DRS, provides fast and reliable data reduction during the night, in order to compare the infrared and visible observations on the fly.
SOXS (Son Of X-Shooter) will be a unique spectroscopic facility for the ESO-NTT 3.5-m telescope in La Silla (Chile), able to cover the optical/NIR band (350-1750 nm). The design foresees a high-efficiency spectrograph with a resolutionslit product of ~4,500, capable of simultaneously observing the complete spectral range 350 - 1750 nm with a good sensitivity, with light imaging capabilities in the visible band. This paper outlines the status of the project.
The Multi-Object Optical and Near-Infrared Spectrograph (MOONS) shall be installed at one of the Very Large Telescopes (VLT) at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Paranal Chile. The instrument is being designed and built by an international consortium on behalf of ESO. The design is based on a three arms configuration, RI, YJ and H band, where RI and H have two possible resolutions. To achieve this goal it will be necessary to implement a sliding mechanism changing the dispersers, the filters and the cross dispersion prisms. This article describes the cryogenic exchanger mechanism that is under realization and the preliminary mechanical and optical tests that we have done at the cryogenic facility of Arcetri observatory of Florence. Parts of these test are based on interferometric measurements of the optics to study the behaviour of the mechanical supporting structure, and part are based on the cryogenic sliding system that will be used to move approximately 200 Kg of mass for 350 mm of travel range. The cryogenic sliding system, rails, screws, motors, is based on commercial components as the position measurement device that is based on commercial potentiometers. The results of the tests and performances at cryogenic temperature are reported in this paper.
This article describes the works we are doing for modifying the interface between the high resolution infrared spectrograph GIANO (0.97-2.4 micron) and the TNG telescope, passing from a fiber feed configuration to the original design of a direct light-feeding from the telescope to the spectrograph. So doing the IR spectrograph, GIANO, will work in parallel to HARPS-N spectrometer (0.38-0.70 micron), the visible high resolution spectrograph, thanks to a new telescope interface based on a dichroic window that simultaneously feeds the two instrumentes: this is GIARPS (GIAno and haRPS). The scientific aims of this project are to improve the radial velocity accuracy achievable with GIANO, down to a goal of 1 m/s, the value necessary to detect Earth-mass planets on habitable orbits around late-M stars, to implement simultaneous observations with Harps-N and GIANO optimizing the study of planets around cool stars. The very broad wavelengths range is particularly important to discriminate false radial velocity signals caused by stellar activity. We therefore include several absorption cells with different mixtures of gases and a stabilized Fabry Perot cavity, necessary to have absorption lines over the 0.97–2.4 microns range covered by GIANO. The commissioning of GIARPS is scheduled by the end of 2016.
GIARPS (GIAno and haRPS) is a project devoted to have on the same focal station of the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) both the high resolution spectrographs HARPS-N (VIS) and GIANO (NIR) working simultaneously. This could be considered the first and unique worldwide instrument providing cross-dispersed echelle spectroscopy at a high resolution (R=115,000 in the visual and R=50,000 in the IR) and over in a wide spectral range (0.383 - 2.45 μm) in a single exposure. The science case is very broad, given the versatility of such an instrument and the large wavelength range. A number of outstanding science cases encompassing mainly extra-solar planet science starting from rocky planet search and hot Jupiters, atmosphere characterization can be considered. Furthermore both instrument can measure high precision radial velocity by means the simultaneous thorium technique (HARPS - N) and absorbing cell technique (GIANO) in a single exposure. Other science cases are also possible. Young stars and proto- planetary disks, cool stars and stellar populations, moving minor bodies in the solar system, bursting young stellar objects, cataclysmic variables and X-ray binary transients in our Galaxy, supernovae up to gamma-ray bursts in the very distant and young Universe, can take advantage of the unicity of this facility both in terms of contemporaneous wide wavelength range and high resolution spectroscopy.
Giano is a Cryogenic Spectrograph located in T.N.G. (Spain) and commissioned in 2013. It works in the range 950-2500
nm with a resolving power of 50000.
This instrument was designed and built for direct feeding from the telescope [2]. However, due to constraints imposed on
the telescope interfacing during the pre-commissioning phase, it had to be positioned on the rotating building, far from
the telescope focus. Therefore, a new interface to the telescope, based on IR-transmitting ZBLAN fibers with 85μm core,
was developed. Originally designed to work directly at the f/11 nasmyth focus of the telescope, in 2011 it has decided to
use a fiber to feed it.
The beam from the telescope is focused on a double fiber boundle by a Preslit Optical Bench attached to the Nasmith A
interface of the telescope. This Optical Bench contains the fiber feeding system and other important features as a guiding
system, a fiber viewer, a fiber feed calibration lamp and a nodding facility between the two fibers. The use of two fibers
allow us to have in the echellogram two spectrograms side by side in the same acquisition: one of the star and the other
of the sky or simultaneously to have the star and a calibration lamp. Before entering the cryostat the light from the fiber
is collected by a second Preslit Optical Bench attached directly to the Giano cryostat: on this bench the correct f-number
to illuminate the cold stop is generated and on the same bench is placed an image slicer to increase the efficiency of the
system.
This paper presents the latest optical design for the MOONS triple-arm spectrographs. MOONS will be a Multi-Object
Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph and will be installed on one of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very
Large Telescopes (VLT). Included in this paper is a trade-off analysis of different types of collimators, cameras,
dichroics and filters.
Present telescopes and future extremely large telescopes make use of fiber-fed spectrographs to observe at optical and
infrared wavelengths. The use of fibers largely simplifies the interfacing of the spectrograph to the telescope. At a high
spectral resolution (R>50,000) the fibers can be used to achieve very high spectral accuracy.
GIANO is an infrared (0.95-2.5μm) high resolution (R=50,000) spectrometer[1] [2] [3] that was recently commissioned
at the TNG telescope (La Palma). This instrument was designed and built for direct feeding from the telescope [4].
However, due to constraints imposed on the telescope interfacing during the pre-commissioning phase, it had to be
positioned on the rotating building, far from the telescope focus. Therefore, a new interface to the telescope, based on
IR-transmitting ZBLAN fibers with 85μm core, was developed.
In this article we report the first, preliminary results of the effects of these fibers on the quality of the recorded spectra
with GIANO and with a similar spectrograph that we set-up in the laboratory. The effects can be primarily associated to
modal-noise (MN) that, in GIANO, is much more evident than in optical spectrometers, because of the much longer
wavelengths.
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