The Mirror-slicer Array for Astronomical Transients (MAAT) is an IFU now being manufactured for the OSIRIS spectrograph on the 10.4-m GRANTECAN (GTC) telescope at La Palma. It is based on the Advanced Image Slicer (AIS) concept as are MUSE and KMOS on the VLT (among many others). Very significant changes to the design had to be made due in part to cost limitations but mostly weight limitations. We present the final design, its expected performances, and the process to get there, in particular the difficulties encountered to avoid variable vignetting in the spectrograph due to the telescope derotator and the primary hexagonal shape. This especially includes modifications of the pupil shape and a new method of extreme optimization of AIS that has been 25 years in the making and that push the Zemax software to its extreme limit. MAAT will take advantage of the OSIRIS mask cartridge for multi-object spectroscopy. The IFU will be in a box that will take the place of a few masks. The field is 10" x 7" with 23 slices 0.305" wide giving a spaxel size of 0.254" x 0.305". The wavelength range is 360 nm to 1000 nm. The spectral resolution will be 1.6 times larger than with a standard slit of 0.6" because of the smaller size of the slices. The eleven gratings will deliver R = 600 to 4100. In an effort to maximize the resolution of a spectrograph designed for a slit twice the width of the slices, we measured the wavefront of the spectrograph by using 2 out-of-focus masks with pinholes along the slit and compared it to the as-designed wavefront. The goal was to modify the IFU pupil mirrors to partly cancel the aberrations in the spectrograph. This showed a residual wavefront variable over the detector due to tolerances, even negligible in some parts; wavefront almost only made of focus, coma, astigmatism and spherical aberration.
The new Integral Field Unit (IFU) for the OSIRIS spectrograph on the 10.4-m Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC), Mirror-slicer Array for Astronomical Transients (MAAT), will see its first light in Autumn 2024. The field is 10" x 7" with 23 slices 0.305" wide, resulting in a spaxel size of 0.254" x 0.305". The wavelength range is 360 nm to 1000 nm. The spectral resolution will be approximately 1.6 times larger than with a standard slit of 0.6" due to the smaller size of the slices. All eleven Volume Phase Holographic Gratings (VPHs) and grisms will be available to provide broad spectral coverage with low to intermediate resolution (R=600 to 4100). The small space envelope, the maximum weight of the mask holder, and the curvature and tilt of the slit created additional design challenges. We will present the relevant aspects of the construction of the MAAT IFU optical bench, mechanical support, and the upgrade of the OSIRIS Mask Charger necessary to host MAAT.
The Mirror-slicer Array for Astronomical Transients (MAAT) is a new IFU for the OSIRIS spectrograph on the 10.4-m Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC) at La Palma, spectrograph that has been recently upgraded with a new detector and moved to the Cassegrain focus. Funding has been secured to build MAAT. We present the nearly final design, its expected performances, the different options that were studied, and an analysis of the spectrograph aberrations. MAAT will take advantage of the OSIRIS mask cartridge for multi-object spectroscopy. The IFU will be in a box that will take the place of a few masks. It is based on the Advanced Image Slicer (AIS) concept as are MUSE and KMOS on the VLT (among many others). The field is 10" x 7" with 23 slices 0.305" wide giving a spaxel size of 0.254" x 0.305". The wavelength range is 360 nm to 1000 nm. The small space envelope, the maximum weight of the mask holder, and the curvature and tilt of the slit created additional design challenges. The spectral resolution will be about 1.6 times larger than with a standard slit of 0.6" because of the smaller size of the slices. All the eleven VPHs and grisms will be available to provide a broad spectral coverage with low to intermediate resolution (R=600 to 4100). To maximize the resolution of a spectrograph designed for a slit twice the width of the slices, we are in the process of measuring the wavefront of the spectrograph aberrations by using 2 out-of-focus masks with pinholes along the slit. We will then correct some of these aberrations with MAAT.
This conference presentation was prepared for the Advances in Optical and Mechanical Technologies for Telescopes and Instrumentation V conference at SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2022.
The Calar Alto Schmidt-Lemaitre Explorer (CASTLE) is an innovative 35 cm robotic telescope aimed at demonstrating the impact and performance of curved detectors for astronomical observations. This telescope will use a spherically curved science-grade sensor matching its curved focal surface and it will be installed at the Calar Alto Observatory in Spain. In this paper we will show the design and we will present the status of the opto-mechanical design and construction. We will also show the preliminary results of the straylight analysis and the general plan towards commissioning and first light in 2021/2022.
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