Abstract
Binospec is a wide-field optical (360-1000 nm) spectrograph commissioned at the MMT 6.5 m telescope in 2017. In direct imaging mode Binospec addresses twin 8 ′ (wide) by 15 ′ (slit length) fields of view. We describe an optical fiber based integral field unit (IFU) that remaps a 12″ × 16″ contiguous region onto two pseudo slits, one in each Binospec channel. The IFU, commissioned in 2023, fits into the space of a standard slit mask frame and can be deployed as desired in a mixed program of slit masks, long slits, and IFU observations. The IFU fibers are illuminated by a hexagonal lenslet array with a 0 . ″ 6 pitch. A separate bundle of sky fibers consists of close-packed bare fibers arranged within an 11 . ″ 8 circular aperture. The 640 IFU fibers and 80 sky fibers have a core diameter of 150 μm, corresponding to 0 . ″ 90. Three gratings are available, 270 lpm with R ~ 2000, 600 lpm with R ~ 5300, and 1000 lpm with R ~ 6000.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 015002 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific |
| Volume | 137 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2025 |
Funding
We thank FiberTech Optica for their work mounting the optical fibers during the challenges of the pandemic. We thank Will Goble and the MMT staff for their help commissioning the Binospec IFU. We thank Stephen Shectman, the referee, for a careful reading and helpful comments.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Space and Planetary Science