The upcoming large astronomical telescopes are trending towards the Segmented Primary Mirror due to technological advancements & manufacturing feasibility. We have designed a wide-field optical IR spectroscopic survey telescope that can deliver spectra of several millions of astronomical sources. The baseline design of this telescope is a 6.2 m segmented primary mirror with hexagonal mirror segments of 1.44m size, intersegment Edge sensors, and soft positioning actuators. The telescope is designed to provide a 2.5deg FOV achieved through a system of wide field corrector lenses with a design residual ~0.2". Also, it delivers an f/3.61 beam suitable for directly feeding optical fibres. A mechanical concept of the telescope is designed with a truss-based mirror cell to support the segmented primary mirror and keep the deformation to a minimum. As the primary mirror is segmented, the deformation due to different disturbances like wind, vibration and thermal effects must be corrected to a nanometer accuracy to make it act like a monolithic primary mirror. This is achieved through an active control system using three actuators and six inter-segment edge sensors. A simulation tool, codeSMT, is built based on the state-space model of a soft actuator with Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) capability to incorporate dynamic wind disturbance from the IAO Hanle site and vibration effects. A detailed error multiplier analysis is performed numerically using this tool and is in good agreement with analytical calculations. A parameter sensitivity analysis is performed to fine-tune the primary mirror control system variables. This paper presents the Optical, Mechanical and Active Control system design approach of a 6.2m wide-field telescope currently under conceptual design.
The 2.34m Vainu Bappu Telescope (VBT) is a reflecting telescope that operates in two modes, prime focus and cassegrain focus, and is equipped with two instruments. In prime focus mode, the telescope has the F-number of f/3.25, and the High-Resolution Echelle Spectrograph (HRES) is employed through optical fiber. On the other hand, in cassegrain focus mode, the F-number is f/13, and the OMR Spectrograph (OMRS) is mounted for low and medium-resolution spectroscopy. Currently, the VBT faces a limitation: either the OMRS or the HRES can be used due to the switch in the heavy secondary mirror. To overcome this, we present a novel method enabling the OMRS to operate from prime mode alongside the HRES. The fiber setup for OMRS is optimized with a 25-lenslet + fiber-based Integral Field Unit (IFU) capable of observing both point and extended sources. The optimized lenslet, fiber, and fore optics design is undergoing lab testing. Our approach allows seamless operation of both spectrographs on the same night, enhancing the observational capabilities of astronomical studies with VBT.
In fiber-based spectroscopy within telescopes, a prevailing limitation has been the necessity to align the fiber diameter with the telescope’s seeing conditions, often characterized by the Full Width at Half Maximum of the point spread function. This alignment constraint captures around 50 % of the incoming flux from any point source. Furthermore, the challenge is compounded when high-resolution spectroscopy is in play, as it often demands a minute slit width, further exacerbating flux loss. The essence of this paper lies in a comprehensive exploration, accomplished through theoretical simulations, of strategies aimed at enhancing the coupling efficiency of high-resolution spectrographs. The primary objective is to bolster the flux capture without compromising the critical aspect of spectral resolution. This research endeavors to unlock the potential for more effective utilization of high-resolution spectrographs to study celestial objects.
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