45 research outputs found
An overview of the mid-infrared spectro-interferometer MATISSE: science, concept, and current status
MATISSE is the second-generation mid-infrared spectrograph and imager for the
Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) at Paranal. This new interferometric
instrument will allow significant advances by opening new avenues in various
fundamental research fields: studying the planet-forming region of disks around
young stellar objects, understanding the surface structures and mass loss
phenomena affecting evolved stars, and probing the environments of black holes
in active galactic nuclei. As a first breakthrough, MATISSE will enlarge the
spectral domain of current optical interferometers by offering the L and M
bands in addition to the N band. This will open a wide wavelength domain,
ranging from 2.8 to 13 um, exploring angular scales as small as 3 mas (L band)
/ 10 mas (N band). As a second breakthrough, MATISSE will allow mid-infrared
imaging - closure-phase aperture-synthesis imaging - with up to four Unit
Telescopes (UT) or Auxiliary Telescopes (AT) of the VLTI. Moreover, MATISSE
will offer a spectral resolution range from R ~ 30 to R ~ 5000. Here, we
present one of the main science objectives, the study of protoplanetary disks,
that has driven the instrument design and motivated several VLTI upgrades
(GRA4MAT and NAOMI). We introduce the physical concept of MATISSE including a
description of the signal on the detectors and an evaluation of the expected
performances. We also discuss the current status of the MATISSE instrument,
which is entering its testing phase, and the foreseen schedule for the next two
years that will lead to the first light at Paranal.Comment: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation conference, June
2016, 11 pages, 6 Figure
X-shooter, the new wide band intermediate resolution spectrograph at the ESO Very Large Telescope
X-shooter is the first 2nd generation instrument of the ESO Very Large
Telescope(VLT). It is a very efficient, single-target, intermediate-resolution
spectrograph that was installed at the Cassegrain focus of UT2 in 2009. The
instrument covers, in a single exposure, the spectral range from 300 to 2500
nm. It is designed to maximize the sensitivity in this spectral range through
dichroic splitting in three arms with optimized optics, coatings, dispersive
elements and detectors. It operates at intermediate spectral resolution
(R~4,000 - 17,000, depending on wavelength and slit width) with fixed echelle
spectral format (prism cross-dispersers) in the three arms. It includes a
1.8"x4" Integral Field Unit as an alternative to the 11" long slits. A
dedicated data reduction package delivers fully calibrated two-dimensional and
extracted spectra over the full wavelength range. We describe the main
characteristics of the instrument and present its performance as measured
during commissioning, science verification and the first months of science
operations.Comment: accepted for publication in A&
Mid-infrared circumstellar emission of the long-period Cepheid l Carinae resolved with VLTI/MATISSE
Stars and planetary system
MATISSE, the VLTI mid-infrared imaging spectro-interferometer
GalaxiesStars and planetary systemsInstrumentatio
Cold optics of MIDI:the mid-infrared interferometric instrument for the VLTI
ESO's new Very Large Telescope will consist of four 8.2m telescopes and three moveable 1.8m telescopes. Light from these can be combined in the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) providing milli-arcsecond resolution with high sensitivity. The VLTI will first operate in the infrared and will produce first fringes in 2001. MIDI is the VLTI instrument for interferometry in the mid-infrared (10-20 microns) and is under development by a German-Dutch-French consortium [MPIA Heidelberg, NOVA/NFRA Netherlands, Observatoire Meudon France]. The initial aim of MIDI is to combine the beams of two telescopes in the 10 micron `N-band' and to achieve spatial resolutions of 20 milli-arcseconds at a spectral resolution of 200-300. Modulation of the optical path difference can be done using piezo-driven mirrors at room temperature, but beam combination and detection of the interferometric signal has to be done at cryogenic temperatures due to the 'thermal' wavelength domain. The MIDI cold bench is therefore mounted inside a cryostat, cooled by means of a closed cycle cooler to about 40K for the cold optics and 8 K for the detector. This poster describes the design and implementation of the MIDI cold bench.</p
Cold optics of MIDI: the mid-infrared interferometric instrument for the VLTI
ESO's new Very Large Telescope will consist of four 8.2m telescopes and three moveable 1.8m telescopes. Light from these can be combined in the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) providing milli-arcsecond resolution with high sensitivity. The VLTI will first operate in the infrared and will produce first fringes in 2001. MIDI is the VLTI instrument for interferometry in the mid-infrared (10-20 microns) and is under development by a German-Dutch-French consortium [MPIA Heidelberg, NOVA/NFRA Netherlands, Observatoire Meudon France]. The initial aim of MIDI is to combine the beams of two telescopes in the 10 micron `N-band' and to achieve spatial resolutions of 20 milli-arcseconds at a spectral resolution of 200-300. Modulation of the optical path difference can be done using piezo-driven mirrors at room temperature, but beam combination and detection of the interferometric signal has to be done at cryogenic temperatures due to the 'thermal' wavelength domain. The MIDI cold bench is therefore mounted inside a cryostat, cooled by means of a closed cycle cooler to about 40K for the cold optics and 8 K for the detector. This poster describes the design and implementation of the MIDI cold bench