Development of a pre-optics module for spectroscopic wavelength splitting and pupil slicing

开发用于光谱波长分裂和光瞳切片的预光学模块

• 批准号: 2307501
• 负责人: Samuel Barden
• 金额: $ 43.36万
• 依托单位: Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Corporation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2307501&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Development; pre; optics; module; spectroscopic

This project seeks to develop a new tool for astronomers to study the spectrum of light from objects in space. Spectroscopy allows scientists to determine characteristics of an object -- such as temperature, distance, and motion -- and potentially to discover distant exoplanets. Current technology uses fiber optic cables to feed light into spectrographs. Existing spectrographs are large, complicated instruments. The principal investigator will develop new technology that will make spectrographs can be smaller, more efficient, and less costly. He will also explore using a special surface treatment on the lenses to reduce unwanted reflections. These technological advancements will benefit not only astronomy, but also and other applications of spectroscopy. The community outreach initiatives will engage students and promote STEM activities related to the project's objectives.This study will advance a concept for separating the wavelength channels of a spectrograph into simpler and smaller spectrographs that would allow more compact instruments. This is useful for massively multiplexed spectroscopic facilities, where the number of spectrographs is quite large and space to locate the spectrographs limited. Such wavelength splitting in a pre-optics module rather than in the spectrograph reduces the size and risk associated with wavelength beam splitters. It also allows for locating blue channels closer to the telescope to significantly improve the transmitted light shortward of 500 nm. Additionally, the study will explore the use of nanostructures for antireflection purposes and investigate mass production techniques for future scalability. These units also allow the implementation of pupil slicing, which can further simplify spectrograph complexity. The project's intellectual merit lies in advancing the design aspects of wavelength splitting and pupil slicing, benefiting the field of astronomical spectroscopy and other spectroscopic applications. Furthermore, community outreach initiatives will engage students and promote STEM activities related to the project's objectives.This project is jointly funded by the Division of Astronomical Sciences in MPS and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.

该项目旨在为天文学家研究空间物体的光谱开发一种新工具。 光谱学使科学家能够确定物体的特征-例如温度，距离和运动-并有可能发现遥远的系外行星。 目前的技术使用光纤电缆将光送入光谱仪。现有的光谱仪是大型复杂的仪器。 首席研究员将开发新技术，使光谱仪可以更小，更有效，更便宜。他还将探索使用特殊的表面处理的镜头，以减少不必要的反射。 这些技术进步不仅有利于天文学，也有利于光谱学的其他应用。社区外展活动将吸引学生参与并促进与项目目标相关的STEM活动。本研究将提出一个概念，将光谱仪的波长通道分离成更简单和更小的光谱仪，从而实现更紧凑的仪器。 这对于大规模多路复用光谱设备是有用的，其中光谱仪的数量相当大并且用于定位光谱仪的空间有限。 在前置光学模块中而不是在光谱仪中的这种波长分离减小了与波长分束器相关联的尺寸和风险。 它还允许将蓝色通道定位在更靠近望远镜的位置，以显着改善500 nm的透射光短波长。 此外，该研究还将探索纳米结构用于生物学目的，并研究未来可扩展性的大规模生产技术。这些单元还允许实现光瞳切片，这可以进一步简化摄谱仪的复杂性。 该项目的智力价值在于推进波长分裂和光瞳分割的设计方面，有利于天文光谱学和其他光谱应用领域。此外，社区外展活动将吸引学生参与并促进与项目目标相关的STEM活动。该项目由MPS天文科学部和刺激竞争性研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）共同资助。该奖项反映了NSF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。