17 research outputs found
MITS: the Multi-Imaging Transient Spectrograph for SOXS
The Son Of X-Shooter (SOXS) is a medium resolution spectrograph R~4500
proposed for the ESO 3.6 m NTT. We present the optical design of the UV-VIS arm
of SOXS which employs high efficiency ion-etched gratings used in first order
(m=1) as the main dispersers. The spectral band is split into four channels
which are directed to individual gratings, and imaged simultaneously by a
single three-element catadioptric camera. The expected throughput of our design
is >60% including contingency. The SOXS collaboration expects first light in
early 2021. This paper is one of several papers presented in these proceedings
describing the full SOXS instrument
Optical design of the SOXS spectrograph for ESO NTT
An overview of the optical design for the SOXS spectrograph is presented.
SOXS (Son Of X-Shooter) is the new wideband, medium resolution (R>4500)
spectrograph for the ESO 3.58m NTT telescope expected to start observations in
2021 at La Silla. The spectroscopic capabilities of SOXS are assured by two
different arms. The UV-VIS (350-850 nm) arm is based on a novel concept that
adopts the use of 4 ion-etched high efficiency transmission gratings. The NIR
(800- 2000 nm) arm adopts the '4C' design (Collimator Correction of Camera
Chromatism) successfully applied in X-Shooter. Other optical sub-systems are
the imaging Acquisition Camera, the Calibration Unit and a pre-slit Common
Path. We describe the optical design of the five sub-systems and report their
performance in terms of spectral format, throughput and optical quality. This
work is part of a series of contributions describing the SOXS design and
properties as it is about to face the Final Design Review.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, published in SPIE Proceedings 1070
The Acquisition Camera System for SOXS at NTT
SOXS (Son of X-Shooter) will be the new medium resolution (R4500 for a
1 arcsec slit), high-efficiency, wide band spectrograph for the ESO-NTT
telescope on La Silla. It will be able to cover simultaneously optical and NIR
bands (350-2000nm) using two different arms and a pre-slit Common Path feeding
system. SOXS will provide an unique facility to follow up any kind of transient
event with the best possible response time in addition to high efficiency and
availability. Furthermore, a Calibration Unit and an Acquisition Camera System
with all the necessary relay optics will be connected to the Common Path
sub-system. The Acquisition Camera, working in optical regime, will be
primarily focused on target acquisition and secondary guiding, but will also
provide an imaging mode for scientific photometry. In this work we give an
overview of the Acquisition Camera System for SOXS with all the different
functionalities. The optical and mechanical design of the system are also
presented together with the preliminary performances in terms of optical
quality, throughput, magnitude limits and photometric properties.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, SPIE conferenc
Development status of the UV-VIS detector system of SOXS for the ESO-NTT telescope
SOXS will be the new spectroscopic facility for the ESO NTT telescope able to
cover the optical and NIR bands by using two different arms: the UV-VIS
(350-850 nm), and the NIR (800-2000 nm). In this article, we describe the
development status of the visible camera cryostat, the architecture of the
acquisition system and the progress in the electronic design. The UV-VIS
detector system is based on a CCD detector 44-82 from e2v, a custom detector
head, coupled with the ESO continuous flow cryostats (CFC), a custom cooling
system, based on a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), and the New General
Controller (NGC) developed by ESO. This paper outlines the development status
of the system, describes the design of the different parts that make up the
UV-VIS arm and is accompanied by a series of information describing the SOXS
design solutions in the mechanics and in the electronics parts. The first tests
of the detector system with the UV-VIS camera will be shown.Comment: 10 pager, 13 figure
SOXS Control Electronics Design
SOXS (Son Of X-Shooter) is a unique spectroscopic facility that will operate
at the ESO New Technology Telescope (NTT) in La Silla from 2020 onward. The
spectrograph will be able to cover simultaneously the UV-VIS and NIR bands
exploiting two different arms and a Common Path feeding system. We present the
design of the SOXS instrument control electronics. The electronics controls all
the movements, alarms, cabinet temperatures, and electric interlocks of the
instrument. We describe the main design concept. We decided to follow the ESO
electronic design guidelines to minimize project time and risks and to simplify
system maintenance. The design envisages Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS)
industrial components (e.g. Beckhoff PLC and EtherCAT fieldbus modules) to
obtain a modular design and to increase the overall reliability and
maintainability. Preassembled industrial motorized stages are adopted allowing
for high precision assembly standards and a high reliability. The electronics
is kept off-board whenever possible to reduce thermal issues and instrument
weight and to increase the accessibility for maintenance purpose. The
instrument project went through the Preliminary Design Review in 2017 and is
currently in Final Design Phase (with FDR in July 2018). This paper outlines
the status of the work and is part of a series of contributions describing the
SOXS design and properties after the instrument Preliminary Design Review.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, to be publised in SPIE Proceedings 10707-9
Development status of the SOXS instrument control software
SOXS (Son Of X-Shooter) is a forthcoming instrument for ESO-NTT, mainly
dedicated to the spectroscopic study of transient events and is currently
starting the AIT (Assembly, Integration, and Test) phase. It foresees a visible
spectrograph, a near-Infrared (NIR) spectrograph, and an acquisition camera for
light imaging and secondary guiding. The optimal setup and the monitoring of
SOXS are carried out with a set of software-controlled motorized components and
sensors. The instrument control software (INS) also manages the observation and
calibration procedures, as well as maintenance and self-test operations. The
architecture of INS, based on the latest release of the VLT Software (VLT2019),
has been frozen; the code development is in an advanced state for what concerns
supported components and observation procedures, which run in simulation. In
this proceeding we present the INS current status, focusing in particular on
the ongoing efforts in the support of two non-standard, "special" devices. The
first special device is the piezoelectric slit exchanger for the NIR
spectrograph; the second special device is the piezoelectric tip-tilt corrector
used for active compensation of mechanical flexures of the instrument.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure