Precise Radial Velocity First Light Observations With iSHELL
Abstract
We present our first light observations with the new iSHELL spectrograph at the NASA Infrared Telescope facility. iShell replaces the 25 year old CSHELL with improvements in spectral grasp (~40x), resolution (70,000 versus 46,000), throughput, optics, and detector characteristics. With CSHELL, we obtained a radial velocity precision of 3 m/s on a bright red giant and we identified several radial velocity variable M dwarfs for future follow up. Our goal with iSHELL is to characterize the precise radial velocity performance of the methane isotopologue absorption gas cell in the calibration unit. We observe bright nearby radial velocity standards to better understand the instrument and data reduction techniques. We have updated our CSHELL analysis code to handle multiple orders and the increased number of pixels. It is feasible that we will obtain a radial velocity precision of < 3 m/s, sufficient to detect terrestrial planets in the habitable zone of nearby M dwarfs. We will also follow up radial velocity variables we have discovered, along with transiting exoplanets orbiting M dwarfs identified with the K2 and TESS missions.
- Publication:
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American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #229
- Pub Date:
- January 2017
- Bibcode:
- 2017AAS...22940306C