The MRS: A Versatile High Efficiency Spectrograph for the Hobby-Eberly Telescope

9420645摘要本项目将为9米霍比-埃伯利望远镜设计、建造和安装一台多功能、高效的中分辨率光谱仪。这台仪器将覆盖从350到1100 nm的整个可见光光谱(具有清晰的升级路径，可在1800 nm使用)，分辨率范围从3000lambda/Delta-lambda 18000，并驻留在环境控制的光谱仪室内。光纤将把光谱仪耦合到望远镜上；仪器的工作模式将包括单目标、合成长缝和多目标光谱分析。由于同时需要光谱覆盖和分辨率，MRS将是一个双光束系统(在590 nm处分束)，具有一个交叉分散的光栅梯形，以及一个白色光瞳，它可以控制晕晕损失，同时保持昂贵的光学元件的尺寸较小。这种配置既经济又高效。MRS将被设计为最大限度地利用HET的高效光纤和队列调度特性。在其众多计划中，MRS将1)通过密集时间采样光谱探索活动星系核和类星体的宽线区域，2)通过测量类星体吸收线来研究宇宙大尺度结构的演化，3)通过椭圆星系的运动学测量来探测和表征暗物质的性质，以及4)通过白矮星的运动学研究来测量银河系的年龄和动力学演化，。

AST 9420645 ABSTRACT This project will design, build, and install a versatile and efficient Medium Resolution Spectrograph (MRS) for the 9-m Hobby-Eberly telescope (HET). This instrument will cover the entire visible spectrum from 350 to 1100 nm (with a clear upgrade path for use at 1800 nm), have a resolution range from 3000 lambda/ delta-lambda 18000, and reside in an environmentally controlled spectrograph room. Optical fibers will couple the spectrograph to the telescope; operating modes for the instrument will include single object, synthetic long slit, and multiple object spectroscopy. Because of the need for both spectral coverage and resolution, the MRS will be a dual beam system (split at 590 nm), with a grating cross-dispersed echelle, and a white-pupil that controls vignetting losses while keeping the sizes of costly optical elements small. This configuration is both economical and highly efficient. The MRS will be designed to take maximum advantage of the high efficiency optics and queue scheduled nature of the HET. Among its many programs, the MRS will 1) explore the broad line regions of active galactic nuclei and quasars through dense time sample spectroscopy, 2) examine the evolution of large scale structure in the universe through measurements of quasar absorption lines, 3) detect and characterize the properties of dark matter via kinematical measurements in elliptical galaxies, and 4) measure the age and dynamical evolution of the Milky Way through kinematical study of white dwarfs,.