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

该项目旨在为天文学家开发一种新的工具来研究太空中物体的光谱。光谱学使科学家能够确定物体的特征--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。首席研究人员将开发新技术，使光谱仪变得更小、更高效、成本更低。他还将探索在镜片上使用特殊的表面处理来减少不必要的反射。这些技术进步不仅对天文学有利，而且对光谱学的其他应用也有好处。社区外展计划将吸引学生参与并促进与项目目标相关的STEM活动。这项研究将提出一个概念，将光谱仪的波长通道分离为更简单和更小的光谱仪，从而允许更紧凑的仪器。这对于大规模多路复用的光谱设施是有用的，其中光谱仪的数量相当多，而定位光谱仪的空间有限。这种在预光学模块中而不是在光谱仪中的波长分割降低了与波长分束器相关的尺寸和风险。它还允许将蓝色通道放置在更靠近望远镜的位置，以显著改善500 nm的透射光短路。此外，这项研究还将探索将纳米结构用于减反射目的，并研究用于未来可伸缩性的大规模生产技术。这些单元还允许实施光瞳切片，这可以进一步简化光谱仪的复杂性。该项目的智能优点在于改进了波长分割和光瞳切片的设计方面，有利于天文光谱学和其他光谱应用领域。此外，社区外展计划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中的天文科学部和既定的激励竞争研究计划(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。

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.