The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer Book 2018

(Abridged) This is the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer 2018 book. It is intended as a concise reference guide to all aspects of the scientific and technical design of MSE, for the international astronomy and engineering communities, and related agencies. The current version is a status report of MSE's science goals and their practical implementation, following the System Conceptual Design Review, held in January 2018. MSE is a planned 10-m class, wide-field, optical and near-infrared facility, designed to enable transformative science, while filling a critical missing gap in the emerging international network of large-scale astronomical facilities. MSE is completely dedicated to multi-object spectroscopy of samples of between thousands and millions of astrophysical objects. It will lead the world in this arena, due to its unique design capabilities: it will boast a large (11.25 m) aperture and wide (1.52 sq. degree) field of view; it will have the capabilities to observe at a wide range of spectral resolutions, from R2500 to R40,000, with massive multiplexing (4332 spectra per exposure, with all spectral resolutions available at all times), and an on-target observing efficiency of more than 80%. MSE will unveil the composition and dynamics of the faint Universe and is designed to excel at precision studies of faint astrophysical phenomena. It will also provide critical follow-up for multi-wavelength imaging surveys, such as those of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, Gaia, Euclid, the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope, the Square Kilometre Array, and the Next Generation Very Large Array.Comment: 5 chapters, 160 pages, 107 figure

The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) Spectrographs

We describe the design and performance of the near-infrared (1.51--1.70 micron), fiber-fed, multi-object (300 fibers), high resolution (R = lambda/delta lambda ~ 22,500) spectrograph built for the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE). APOGEE is a survey of ~ 10^5 red giant stars that systematically sampled all Milky Way populations (bulge, disk, and halo) to study the Galaxy's chemical and kinematical history. It was part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III) from 2011 -- 2014 using the 2.5 m Sloan Foundation Telescope at Apache Point Observatory, New Mexico. The APOGEE-2 survey is now using the spectrograph as part of SDSS-IV, as well as a second spectrograph, a close copy of the first, operating at the 2.5 m du Pont Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. Although several fiber-fed, multi-object, high resolution spectrographs have been built for visual wavelength spectroscopy, the APOGEE spectrograph is one of the first such instruments built for observations in the near-infrared. The instrument's successful development was enabled by several key innovations, including a "gang connector" to allow simultaneous connections of 300 fibers; hermetically sealed feedthroughs to allow fibers to pass through the cryostat wall continuously; the first cryogenically deployed mosaic volume phase holographic grating; and a large refractive camera that includes mono-crystalline silicon and fused silica elements with diameters as large as ~ 400 mm. This paper contains a comprehensive description of all aspects of the instrument including the fiber system, optics and opto-mechanics, detector arrays, mechanics and cryogenics, instrument control, calibration system, optical performance and stability, lessons learned, and design changes for the second instrument.Comment: 81 pages, 67 figures, PASP, accepte

The effect of transitioning to renewable energy consumption on the Nigerian oil and gas exports:an ARDL approach

PurposeNet energy importing countries (NEICs) pursue strategic policies to reduce the consumption of energy from conventional sources and increase that of renewable energy to attain energy security and sustainable development. However, net energy exporting countries (NEECs) rely substantially on the proceeds realised from oil and gas exports to mainly NEICs to finance government activities. This paper aims to investigate the effect of increased consumption of renewable energy in developed NEICs on the Nigeria’s oil and gas exports.Design/methodology/approachThe study was undertaken by analysing macro-economic annual time-series data set (1980-2014) using autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach.FindingsBoth the short-run and the long-run results of the ARDL modelling reveal that renewable energy consumption in developed NEICs is affecting Nigeria’s oil and gas exports negatively, thereby causing significant decrease in the amounts of revenue being generated therefrom.Research Limitations/implicationsLike most empirical studies, the conduct of this research has encountered some challenges. Thus, the use of rather small sample in terms of period covered (1980-2014), annual frequency of data and focus on one NEEC (Nigeria) are the key limitations of this paper. While the first two challenges were dealt with by using ARDL, future research can focus on other NEECs to extend the study.Practical ImplicationsThe findings have several policy implications, including the need for Nigeria to focus on developing internal market trajectories to increase domestic utilisation of its conventional energy rather than depending on external markets. The results also suggest the need for public policymakers to develop a strategic plan that will effectively address the external economic threat arising from the influence of global energy transition.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper represents the first effort to empirically examine the effect of renewable energy consumption by developed NEICs on the Nigeria’s oil and gas exports. The paper contributes to the literature by providing insight into and documenting evidence that the world is taking transitioning to cleaner energy sources very seriously

Automation of play:theorizing self-playing games and post-human ludic agents

This article offers a critical reflection on automation of play and its significance for the theoretical inquiries into digital games and play. Automation has become an ever more noticeable phenomenon in the domain of video games, expressed by self-playing game worlds, self-acting characters, and non-human agents traversing multiplayer spaces. On the following pages, the author explores various instances of automated non-human play and proposes a post-human theoretical lens, which may help to create a new framework for the understanding of videogames, renegotiate the current theories of interaction prevalent in game studies, and rethink the relationship between human players and digital games

Development of the HARMONI spectrograph for ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope

HARMONI is the integral field spectrograph (IFS) for the European Southern Observatory's Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). This versatile instrument assisted by adaptive optics will deliver diffraction-limited spectroscopic capabilities across the near-infrared wavelength range, taking full advantage of the ELT's combination of exceptional spatial resolution and vast collecting area to enable groundbreaking scientific research. HARMONI is a unique ground-based astronomical instrument due to its size and the fact that it will be the first IFS to operate on an ELT. Some of HARMONI's technology was already implemented in previous astronomical instruments, but at a smaller scale, lower level of integration complexity, and never for this type of telescope. Consequently, multiple development challenges must be addressed for its successful realization. This thesis addresses two development challenges: implementing a lens mount for HARMONI's spectrograph cameras and evaluating the potential for dielectric mirror coatings to enhance instrument throughput. This thesis proposes a flexure lens mount for HARMONI's spectrograph cameras and demonstrates how it can be implemented to meet the cameras' alignment requirements. The thesis meticulously presents the assembly process and validation of the radial alignment of two lens mount engineering models in a HARMONI-simulated operational environment. Secondly, this thesis demonstrates that dielectric mirrors are a feasible technology for the HARMONI instrument by establishing that broad-spectrum coatings can be designed and manufactured, and by validating four coating types for HARMONI's lifetime and operational conditions. Additionally, the thesis provides transmission estimates, highlighting the substantial throughput improvements achieved by applying dielectric mirror coatings to eligible surfaces

Axisymmetry in Mechanical Engineering

The reprint is devoted to the phenomena associated with exact or approximate axial symmetry in different areas of technical physics and mechanical engineering science. How can the symmetry of the problem be used most efficiently for its analysis? Why is the symmetry broken or why is it still approximately retained? These and other questions are discussed based on systems from different fields of engineering

Expanding Preferential Treatment Under the Record Rental Amendment Beyond the Music Industry

In January 2007, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decided Brilliance Audio, Inc. v. Haights Cross Communications, Inc. and answered a lingering question concerning the Copyright Act that had persisted for over twenty years. The court decided whether the protections offered to the music industry under the poorly drafted Record Rental Amendment of 1984 also extended to audiobooks and other non-musical works. This Act deprives owners of items such as tapes and compact discs from renting those items to others without the consent of the copyright owners of the recorded song and the written lyrics and music - a right historically granted to consumers under the first sale doctrine. Ultimately, the court held that the special protections granted by the Record Rental Amendment were limited to the music industry. However, both the majority and vigorous dissenting opinions highlighted the differing interpretations of the Act\u27s applicability and set the stage for a circuit split. This article first explores the text and historical developments of copyright law\u27s first sale doctrine and the Record Rental Amendment and the Sixth Circuit\u27s interpretation thereof. Next, it examines whether the Record Rental Amendment should be amended to include audiobooks and other non-musical works and ultimately suggests two alternative amendments Congress should adopt to resolve future conflicts and avoid a split amongst the circuits