65 research outputs found
Hectospec, the MMT's 300 Optical Fiber-Fed Spectrograph
The Hectospec is a 300 optical fiber fed spectrograph commissioned at the MMT
in the spring of 2004. A pair of high-speed six-axis robots move the 300 fiber
buttons between observing configurations within ~300 s and to an accuracy ~25
microns. The optical fibers run for 26 m between the MMT's focal surface and
the bench spectrograph operating at R~1000-2000. Another high dispersion bench
spectrograph offering R~5,000, Hectochelle, is also available. The system
throughput, including all losses in the telescope optics, fibers, and
spectrograph peaks at ~10% at the grating blaze in 1" FWHM seeing. Correcting
for aperture losses at the 1.5" diameter fiber entrance aperture, the system
throughput peaks at 17%. Hectospec has proven to be a workhorse
instrument at the MMT. Hectospec and Hectochelle together were scheduled for
1/3 of the available nights since its commissioning. Hectospec has returned
\~60,000 reduced spectra for 16 scientific programs during its first year of
operation.Comment: 68 pages, 28 figures, to appear in December 2005 PAS
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