Development and Construction of a Fiber-Fed, High-ThroughputEschelle Spectrograph for the Michigan-Dartmouth-MIT Observatory

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ABSTRACT AST-9413847 Mateo, Mario The PIs will build a high-efficiency, multi-object fiber-fed echelle spectrograph for the Hiltner 2.4m telescope at Michigan-Dartmouth-MIT observatory. The design will optimize resolution, compactness, and allow for easy changes of echelle grating/cross disperser combinations, and form direct mode (single objects) to fiber mode (multiple objects ). The capabilities and versatility of this instrument will significantly enhance the research capabilities of the Michigan-Dartmouth-MIT (MDM) Observatory and make the 2.4 telescope competitive with far larger telescopes for certain observational problems. Detailed studies in a number of areas of fundamental astronomical importance will be undertaken by the large community of MDM astronomers. These projects include; a) studies of the dark matter content of dwarf galaxies in the Local Group and beyond, b) detailed measurements of the temporal evolution of key elements in disk and halo stars, c) direct measurements of the kinematics of gas in the halos of our Galaxy and external spirals, d) observations of the detailed kinematical properties of supernova and nova shells in our Galaxy and in external systems, e) definitive studies of the kinematics of star clusters including the first direct attempts to measure the degree of equipartition in clusters, f) systematically monitoring stars in open and globular clusters to search for spectroscopic binaries, g) measurements of the distance to the Galactic Center via precise kinematics observations of Cepheids along the solar circle, and h) probing the physical conditions and chemical composition of the diffuse interstellar medium in our Galaxy. The variety of topics underscores the scientific community that will use the new spectrograph and the versatility of the instrument itself. ***