The PAlomar Radial Velocity Instrument (PARVI) is a diffraction-limited, high-resolution spectrograph connected by single-mode fiber to the 200 inch Hale telescope at Palomar Observatory. Here, we present on-sky results for HD 189733 obtained during PARVI’s commissioning phase. We first describe the implementation of our spectral extraction and radial velocity (RV) generation codes. Through RV monitoring, we detect the Rossiter–Mclaughlin signal of the transiting planet HD 189733 b. We further detect the presence of water and carbon monoxide in the atmosphere of HD 189733 b via transmission spectroscopy. This work demonstrates PARVI’s high-resolution spectral capabilities at H band and current intra-night Doppler stability of ∼4 to 10 m s − 1 on an early K dwarf. Finally, we discuss the limitations to this work and ongoing efforts to characterize and improve the Doppler performance of PARVI to the design goal of ∼1 m s − 1 for late-type stars.
Laser frequency combs are fast becoming critical to reaching the highest radial velocity precisions. One shortcoming is the highly variable brightness of the comb lines across the spectrum (up to 4-5 orders of magnitude). This can result in some lines saturating while others are at low signal and lost in the noise. Losing lines to either of these effects reduces the precision and hence effectiveness of the comb. In addition, the brightness of the comb lines can vary with time which could drive comb lines with initially reasonable SNR’s into the two regimes described above. To mitigate these two effects, laser frequency combs use optical flattener’s. Flattener’s are typically bulk optic setups that disperse the comb light with a grating, and then use a spatial light modulator to control the amplitude across the spectrum before recombining the light into another single mode fiber and sending it to the spectrograph. These setups can be large (small bench top), expensive (several hundred thousand dollars) and have limited stability. To address these issues, we have developed an all-photonic spectrum flattener on a chip. The device is constructed from optical waveguides on a SiN chip. The light from the laser frequency comb’s output optical fiber can be directly connected to the chip, where the light is first dispersed using an arrayed waveguide grating. To control the brightness of each channel, the light is passed through a Mach-Zehnder interferometer before being recombined with a second arrayed waveguide grating. Thermo-optic phase modulators are used in each channel before recombination to path length match the channels as needed. Here we present the results from our first generation prototype. The device operates from 1400-1800 nm (covering the H band), with 20, 20 nm wide channels. The device was mounted on a PCB board to enable electrical control of the active elements and tested in the laboratory. It was demonstrated that the Mach- Zehnder’s allowed for nearly 40 dBs of dynamic modulation of the spectrum, which is greater than that offered by most spatial light modulators. With a smooth spectrum light source (superluminescent light source), we reduced the spectral variation to 3 dBs, limited by the properties of the components used. On a laser frequency comb which had strong modulations at high spatial frequencies, we still managed to reduce the modulation to 5 dBs. These devices are of the order of a US quarter and could play a significant role in future PRV and EPRV initiatives.
Since the start of science operations in 1993, the twin 10-meter W. M. Keck Observatory (WMKO) telescopes have continued to maximize their scientific impact and to produce transformative discoveries that keep the observing community on the frontiers of astronomical research. Upgraded capabilities and new instrumentation are provided though collaborative partnerships with Caltech, the University of California, and the University of Hawaii instrument development teams, as well as industry and other organizations. This paper summarizes the performance of recently commissioned infrastructure projects, technology upgrades, and new additions to the suite of observatory instrumentation. We also provide a status of projects currently in design or development phases and, since we keep our eye on the future, summarize projects in exploratory phases that originate from our 2022 strategic plan developed in collaboration with our science community to adapt and respond to evolving science needs.
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