MRI: Development of the Next Generation Palomar Spectrograph

下一代Palomar光谱仪(NGPS)将成为Palomar天文台的仪器。它的高效设计将记录高达70%的光线，而典型光谱仪的效率为25%。这一进展将导致天文学许多不同领域的新发现，如小行星、恒星、黑洞和宇宙爆炸。该项目还将通过勇士-学者项目为美国退伍军人服务，该项目帮助退伍军人获得四年制大学学位。NGPS将是最高效的单目标天文光谱仪之一。它位于200英寸哈尔望远镜的卡塞格伦焦点处，将提供全光波长覆盖(320-1040 nm)。当在典型配置(0.5弧秒切片宽度)中使用时，它将提供R=4500的分辨率。NGPS旨在最大限度地提高光纤和运营效率。技术创新，如狭缝切片器和体积相位全息衍射光栅，产生了70%的仪器光学效率。可调狭缝切片器允许在提高光谱分辨率的同时将狭缝损失降至最低。操作上的创新包括一种捕捉和引导相机，视场为4.4弧度。这一区域足够大，可以即时、自动地识别天空中任何地方的任意指向。这意味着目标可以在没有人为干预的情况下集中在狭缝中，使得在回转到现场后只有7.5秒的最短获取时间。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Next Generation Palomar Spectrograph (NGPS) will be an instrument for the Palomar Observatory. Its efficient design will record up to 70 percent of the light, compared to the 25 percent efficiency of typical spectrographs. This advance will lead to new discoveries in many different areas of astronomy such as asteroids, stars, black holes, and cosmic explosions. This project will also serve U.S. veterans through the Warrior-Scholar Project, which aids veterans in attaining four year college degrees.NGPS will be one of the most efficient single-object astronomical spectrographs. Located at the Cassegrain focus of the 200 inch Hale telescope, it will provide all-optical wavelength coverage (320-1040 nm). When used in a typical configuration (0.5 arcsec slice width), it will provide a resolving power of R = 4500. NGPS has been designed to maximize both optical and operational efficiency. Technical innovations, such as a slit-slicer and volume phase holographic diffraction gratings, yield an instrument optical efficiency of 70 percent. The adjustable slit-slicer allows for minimization of slit losses while increasing the spectral resolution. Operational innovations include an acquisition-and-guide camera with a 4.4 arcmin field of view. This area is large enough for instant, automated recognition of the field for an arbitrary pointing anywhere on the sky. This means that the target can be centered on the slit without human intervention, enabling a minimal acquisition time of just 7.5 seconds after slewing to the field.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.