The Smart Focal Planes (SmartFP) activity is a European Joint Research Activity funded to develop novel optical technologies for future large telescope instrumentation (2). In this paper, we will discuss the image slicer developments being carried out as part of this initiative. Image slicing techniques have many applications in the plans for instrumentation on Extremely Large Telescopes and will be central to the delivery of the science case. A study of a virtual multi-object multi-ifu spectrograph and imager (MOMSI) for a hypothetical OWL-class telescope reveals the need for focal plane splitting, deployable imagers and very small beam steering elements like deployable IFUs. The image slicer workpackage, lead from Durham University in collaboration with LFM Bremen, TNO Delft, UKATC Edinburgh, CRAL Lyon, LAM Marseille, Padua University and REFLEX Prague, is evaluating technologies for manufacturing micro optics in large numbers to enable multi-object integral field spectroscopy.
g Stockholm Observatory, SCFAB Astronomy, Stockholm (Sweden) h Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, OX11 0QX (UK) i Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 5 Merrion Square, Dublin2 (Ireland)
ABSTRACTThe MIRI is the mid-IR (5-28µm) instrument for NGST and provides for imaging, cororographic, high-and lowresolution spectroscopic capabilities. Unlike to the other instruments on NGST, the MIRI must be cooled -to reduce the thermal background from the optics and because the detectors require an operating temperature of about 7k.. In this paper we summarise the science goals, the proposed overall opto-mechanical concept, the thermal design aspects, the detectors and the expected sensitivity of the instrument.
We present the science case for ICE-T, the International Concordia Explorer Telescope, a double telescope optimized for ultra-high and ultra wide field optical time-series photometry from Dome C. ICE-T consists of two 60 cm 8°×8°-FOV Schmidt telescopes for Sloan g and i photometry and one independent 25 cm, solar, full-disk, Ca ii-K imaging telescope on a single mount. ICE-T is therefore operable during night and day. A 28 cm narrow-field Maksutov spectrophotometric telescope for night-time aerosol measurements (TAVERN-SP) will be provided by AWI early on and operated in parallel with IRAIT and later with ICE-T. The low scintillation noise and the long continuous darkness are among the unique properties for high precision optical time-series photometry
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