An overview of instrumentation for the Large Binocular Telescope

R. Mark Wagner

doi:10.1117/12.789999

9 July 2008 An overview of instrumentation for the Large Binocular Telescope

R. Mark Wagner

Proceedings Volume 7014, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy II; 701409 (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.789999
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2008, Marseille, France

Abstract

An overview of instrumentation for the Large Binocular Telescope is presented. Optical instrumentation includes the Large Binocular Camera (LBC), a pair of wide-field (27' × 27') mosaic CCD imagers at the prime focus, and the Multi-Object Double Spectrograph (MODS), a pair of dual-beam blue-red optimized long-slit spectrographs mounted at the straight-through F/15 Gregorian focus incorporating multiple slit masks for multi-object spectroscopy over a 6 field and spectral resolutions of up to 8000. Infrared instrumentation includes the LBT Near-IR Spectroscopic Utility with Camera and Integral Field Unit for Extragalactic Research (LUCIFER), a modular near-infrared (0.9-2.5 μm) imager and spectrograph pair mounted at a bent interior focal station and designed for seeing-limited (FOV: 4' × 4') imaging, long-slit spectroscopy, and multi-object spectroscopy utilizing cooled slit masks and diffraction limited (FOV: 0.5' × 0.5') imaging and long-slit spectroscopy. Strategic instruments under development for the remaining two combined focal stations include an interferometric cryogenic beam combiner with near-infrared and thermal-infrared instruments for Fizeau imaging and nulling interferometry (LBTI) and an optical bench near-infrared beam combiner utilizing multi-conjugate adaptive optics for high angular resolution and sensitivity (LINC-NIRVANA). In addition, a fiber-fed bench spectrograph (PEPSI) capable of ultra high resolution spectroscopy and spectropolarimetry (R = 40,000-300,000) will be available as a principal investigator instrument. The availability of all these instruments mounted simultaneously on the LBT permits unique science, flexible scheduling, and improved operational support.

Citation Download Citation

R. Mark Wagner "An overview of instrumentation for the Large Binocular Telescope", Proc. SPIE 7014, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy II, 701409 (9 July 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.789999

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