MRI Development: Upgrading NIRSPEC for a Renaissance in IR Spectroscopy at the W. M. Keck Observatory

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The Near-Infrared Spectrometer (NIRSPEC), which is designed to examine infrared light emitted by stars and galaxies, has been used for hundreds of scientific studies since it was commissioned for use at the Keck II telescope atop Maunakea, Hawaii in 1999. A team of scientists and engineers from the California Association for Research in Astronomy and the University of California, Los Angeles propose to upgrade this aging instrument. The upgrade will improve NIRSPEC's sensitivity by installing modern detectors and improve its stability through a combination of upgrades to electronics, software, and the system that allows NIRSPEC to lock onto and track stars. This will give the U.S. astronomical community an unique tool to push the frontiers of knowledge in numerous areas, including understanding the clouds of gas that form new stars, the oldest and most distant parts of the universe, and asteroids in our solar system. The student participants in this project will gain skill in building complex optical instruments that will be equally well applied to future projects in astronomy and the commercial sector. The Near-Infrared Spectrometer (NIRSPEC), a 1-5 micron moderate resolution instrument that has been operational on the 10 m Keck II telescope since 1999, has provided data for over 350 papers and 35 Ph.D. theses on a wide range of topics. The proposed work will extend the life of this instrument as well as improve its sensitivity, stability, and spectral resolution by upgrading the main spectrograph detector, adding a new slit-viewing camera, upgrading the control electronics and software, and modifying the grating mechanism. The upgraded NIRSPEC will enable a wide variety of scientific studies identified as high priority in the most recent Decadal Survey, ranging from protostellar disks and exoplanet atmospheres to solar system objects and the high-redshift universe. It will be a unique capability for the U.S. astronomical community at one of the highest impact astronomical facilities.