WEAVE: The WHT Enhanced Area Velocity Explorer

WEAVE是一个用于4.2米威廉·赫歇尔望远镜（WHT）的新型宽视场、高复用光谱设备的概念。WEAVE将为WHT配备一个新的中/高光谱分辨率双光束光谱仪（R=5000/R=20000），该光谱仪将从一个新的2度视场定焦仪器中同时接收多达1000个光纤馈送。同一光谱仪还可以配备一个具有3x2弧秒视场的大型单光纤积分场单元（IFU），或多达30个可单独部署的小型IFU，每个IFU具有10x12弧秒视场。WEAVE的主要科学目标是对GAIA目录进行光谱跟踪，以在微弱星等和大径向距离下对银河系的动力学和化学演化进行采样；利用来自Westerbork的APERTIF仪器的互补中性氢观测，利用多达10万个星系的解析运动学研究适度红移（z<0.4）下的星系演化，并通过LOFAR中深宽视场射电成像巡天的后续观测研究宇宙大尺度结构的演化和暗能量理论的检验。该提案涵盖了牛津大学在WEAVE初步设计阶段的光纤定位系统的初始阶段工作，主要目标是开发完整的定位器概念以及定位器系统和望远镜顶端环结构之间的接口。

WEAVE is a concept for a new wide-field, high multiplex spectroscopy facility for the 4.2m William Herschel Telescope(WHT). WEAVE will equip the WHT with a new medium/high spectral resolution dual-beam optical spectrograph (R=5000/R=20000) that will be fed with up to 1000 simultaneous fibre-optic feeds from a new 2 degree field of view prime-focus instrument. The same spectrograph can also be fed with a large single fibre-based integral field unit (IFU) with a 3x2 arcminute field of view, or with up to 30 small, individually deployable IFUs, each with a 10x12 arcsecond field of view. The main scientific objectives for WEAVE are spectroscopic follow-up of the GAIA catalogue to sample the dynamics and chemical evolution of the Milky Way at faint magnitudes and large radial distances; to study galaxy evolution at modest redshifts (z<0.4) using resolved kinematics of up to 100,000 galaxies with complementary neutral hydrogen observations from the APERTIF instrument at Westerbork, and to study the evolution of the large-scale structure of the Universe and test theories of Dark Energy by means of follow-up observations of the LOFAR medium deep wide-field radio imaging survey.This proposal covers the initial phase of Oxford's work on the fibre positioning system for the Preliminary Design Phase of WEAVE with the primary objective of developing the complete positioner concept and the interfaces between the positioner system and the telescope top-end ring structure.