Liger: Initiating Fabrication of Next Generation Keck Imager and Spectrograph

Liger仪器将允许天文学家研究其他恒星、其他星系和黑洞附近区域周围的太阳系。这台仪器是一个大型复杂装置。该项目将允许开发这一概念的团队继续他们的设计工作，并建立该系统的一个重要组件，在低温下运行。此外，与会者计划扩大一个便携式天文馆推广项目，宇宙之旅，以更好地支持圣地亚哥县的中小学，提供包含下一代科学标准的精心策划的展览。计划在凯克天文台部署的Liger仪器将结合在近红外(0.81-2.45μm)同时运行的自适应光学馈送的整体场光谱仪和成像相机。该项目将保持Liger的制造势头，并为全仪器的一个子系统提供必要的研究和开发。具体地说，该计划是制造、集成和低温表征成像器探测器组件，该组件包含Teleydne Hawaii-2RG探测器和将光引导到每个微透镜和切片器集成场光谱仪组件的拾取镜。将制造和集成一个冷冻室，用于对准Liger成像器和测试探测器组件。同时，将开发使用最新Macie控制器和Teledyne Hawaii-2RG的软件。这项测试将是研究生论文工作的主要组成部分。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 Liger instrument will allow astronomers to study solar systems around other stars, other galaxies and the regions near black holes. This instrument is a large complex unit. This project will allow the team developing this concept to continue their design work and build an important component of that system that operates at low temperature. In addition, the participants plan to expand a portable planetarium outreach program, Cosmic Tours, to better support San Diego County elementary and middle schools with curated shows that incorporate the Next Generation Science Standards.The Liger instrument envisaged for deployment at the Keck Observatory will combine an adaptive optics-fed integral field spectrograph and imaging camera that operate simultaneously in the near-infrared (0.81-2.45 μm). This project will maintain Liger’s fabrication momentum and provide the necessary research and development on a subsystem of the full instrument. Specifically, the plan is to fabricate, integrate, and cryogenically characterize the imager detector assembly that houses both the Teleydne Hawaii-2RG detector and pick-off mirrors that direct light to each of the lenslet and slicer integral field spectrograph components. A cryogenic chamber will be fabricated and integrated for alignment of the Liger imager and for testing the detector assembly. In parallel, software will be developed that uses the latest MACIE controllers with the Teledyne Hawaii-2RG. This testing will be the main component of a graduate student’s thesis work.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.