Automated fiber optic instrumentation for the William Herschel Telescope

Ian Robert Parry; Ian J. Lewis

doi:10.1117/12.19131

1 July 1990 Automated fiber optic instrumentation for the William Herschel Telescope

Ian Robert Parry, Ian J. Lewis

Proceedings Volume 1235, Instrumentation in Astronomy VII; (1990) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.19131
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation for the 21st Century, 1990, Tucson, AZ, United States

Abstract

The design and operation of the automated optical-fiber positioning system used for spectroscopic observations at the Cassegrain focus of the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope (WHT) at Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos are described. The system is a modified version of the Autofib positioner for the AAT and employs 64 spectroscopic fibers and 8 guide fiber bundles arranged to form a 17-arcmin-diameter field. The fibers are 1-m-long polyimide-coated high-OH silica, with core diameter 260 microns and outer diameter 315 microns, and a 1.2-mm side-length microprism is cemented to the end of each fiber or (7-fiber) guide bundle. The fibers are positioned one at a time by a pick-and-place robot assembly, and a viewing head permitting simultaneous observation of the back-illuminated fiber and the object it is trying to acquire is provided. This prototype Cassegrain-focus system is being studied to aid in the development of a more accurate fiber positioner for use at the prime focus of the WHT.

Citation Download Citation

Ian Robert Parry and Ian J. Lewis "Automated fiber optic instrumentation for the William Herschel Telescope", Proc. SPIE 1235, Instrumentation in Astronomy VII, (1 July 1990); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.19131

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