Enabling precision calibration of massively multiplexed spectroscopic surveys

现代天文学教会了我们很多关于支配宇宙的物理学知识。最近，许多发现都是通过观察收集大面积夜空图像的调查所产生的图像而得到的。下一步是使用光谱学对这些图像中发现的许多物体进行更详细的研究。目前正在规划几个这样的设施，每个设施都能同时收集数千个天体物理物体的光谱。这项工作的一个关键挑战是确保光谱得到很好的校准，以便能够准确地解释这些数据。在这个项目中，拟议的下一代Maunakea光谱探测器（MSE）设施被用作开发所需校准和测量技术的基线。这项工作将使使用MSE和其他类似设施进行精确的科学光谱测量成为可能。这项工作将吸引一名研究生和许多本科生，为他们提供重要的STEM教育机会。大口径望远镜上的大规模多路光谱设备代表了地面光学天文学的未来。在维拉鲁宾天文台和其他宽视场成像调查的时代，需要对大量亮度与天空背景相当或比天空背景更暗的物体进行后续光谱研究。为了有效地进行这些研究，每个点必须获得数千个光谱，这一壮举可以使用光纤馈送光谱仪器完成。需要仔细校准以将目标产生的信号与背景噪声区分开来，背景噪声是由天空信号和仪器引起的散射光造成的。该项目计划全面评估这些噪声源，并制定一套程序，通过仔细测量纤维的相关特性，最大限度地减少它们所带来的限制。该研究结果将适用于所有未来的大规模多路复用光谱仪器，从而使多个下一代设备的科学计划成为可能。莫纳克亚光谱探测器是这项工作的直接应用。该项目将支持一名研究生和许多本科生，从而提供仪器开发和工程技术方面的重要培训。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Modern astronomy has taught us much about the physics that governs the Universe. Recently, many discoveries have been made by inspecting images produced by surveys that collect images of large areas of the nighttime sky. The next step is to study many of the objects discovered in those images in more detail using spectroscopy. Several such facilities are currently being planned, each able to collect thousands of such spectra of astrophysical objects simultaneously. A key challenge for such work is to ensure that the spectra are well calibrated so that this data can be interpreted accurately. In this project the proposed next-generation Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE) facility is used as a baseline to develop the required calibration and measurement techniques. This work will enable precision scientific spectroscopic measurements to be made using MSE and other similar facilities. The work will engage one graduate student and many undergraduates, providing them with significant STEM educational opportunities.Massively multiplexed spectroscopic facilities on large aperture telescopes represent the future of ground-based optical astronomy. In the era of the Vera Rubin Observatory and other wide-field imaging surveys, the follow-up spectroscopic study of vast numbers of objects with brightness comparable to or fainter than the sky background is required. In order for these studies to be executed efficiently, thousands of spectra per pointing must be acquired, a feat that can be accomplished using fiber-fed spectroscopic instruments. Careful calibration will be needed to disentangle the signal generated by the target of interest from the background noise that is the result of sky signal and scattered light induced by the instrumentation. This project plans to fully assess these noise sources and develop a procedure to minimize the limitations they induce through careful measurement of the relevant properties of the fibers. Results of the proposed study will be applicable to all future massively multiplexed spectroscopic instruments, thus enabling the science programs of multiple next-generation facilities. The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer is a direct application for this work. The project will support one graduate student and many undergraduates thus providing significant training in instrumentation development and engineering techniques.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.