A concept for a new spectroscopic facility
Abstract
Following the scientific requirements developed by a ESO Working Group on Multi Object Spectroscopy, we present a design concept for a facility suitable for massively-multiplexed optical spectroscopy. We propose a very wide-field Cassegrain telescope optimised for fibre-fed spectroscopy. Our design provides an optical and ADC-corrected field of 2.5 degree diameter for an 11.4m primary, with a three-element corrector and ADC. A gravity invariant focus for the central 10 arc-minute field can be inserted to host a giant IFU. The telescope has an exceptionally large etendue and provides adequate image quality in the 360- 1300 nm, or in the 1300-1800 nm wavelength range. The telescope is very compact enabling an economic enclosure. We stress the importance of developing simultaneously detailed designs for the telescope and instrumentation highlighting curved detectors as key elements to optimally exploit the telescope's potential via fast spectroscopic cameras at low cost. With this concept, more than 15000 fibres can be positioned in the focal plane with existing technology enabling a revolution in spectroscopic discovery space and follow-up of panoramic imaging surveys including LSST.
- Publication:
-
Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes VII
- Pub Date:
- July 2018
- DOI:
- 10.1117/12.2313076
- Bibcode:
- 2018SPIE10700E..4EP