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RESEARCH PRODUCT
iLocater: a diffraction-limited Doppler spectrometer for the Large Binocular Telescope
Christian SchwabChristian SchwabAndrew BechterIsabella PaganoPhilip M. HinzMarc J. KuchnerBo ZhaoRyan KettererRonald KorniskiSteven A. MacenkaB. S. GaudiJoseph ThomesDavid CavalieriKarl R. StapelfeldtKarl R. StapelfeldtAlessandro SozzettiCharles E. WoodwardLeonard ZugbyJonathan CrassJustin R. CreppEric B. BechterKaitlin M. KratterLouis G. FantanoDavid A. KingMichael F. SkrutskieSheila WallEleanya OnumaJames P. McguireDerek KoponCorina KocaRobert G. ReynoldsFred HeartyMatthew J. NelsonJoshua EisnerGiuseppina MicelaAndreas Quirrenbachsubject
FOS: Physical sciences01 natural sciences010309 opticssymbols.namesakeOptics0103 physical sciencesAstrophysics::Solar and Stellar AstrophysicsSpectral resolutionAdaptive opticsInstrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM)010303 astronomy & astrophysicsSpectrographSolar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)Astrophysics::Galaxy AstrophysicsEarth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)PhysicsSpectrometerbusiness.industryAstrophysics::Instrumentation and Methods for AstrophysicsLarge Binocular TelescopeExoplanetStarlightAstrophysics - Solar and Stellar AstrophysicssymbolsAstrophysics::Earth and Planetary AstrophysicsAstrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for AstrophysicsbusinessDoppler effectAstrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysicsdescription
We are developing a stable and precise spectrograph for the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) named "iLocater." The instrument comprises three principal components: a cross-dispersed echelle spectrograph that operates in the YJ-bands (0.97-1.30 microns), a fiber-injection acquisition camera system, and a wavelength calibration unit. iLocater will deliver high spectral resolution (R~150,000-240,000) measurements that permit novel studies of stellar and substellar objects in the solar neighborhood including extrasolar planets. Unlike previous planet-finding instruments, which are seeing-limited, iLocater operates at the diffraction limit and uses single mode fibers to eliminate the effects of modal noise entirely. By receiving starlight from two 8.4m diameter telescopes that each use "extreme" adaptive optics (AO), iLocater shows promise to overcome the limitations that prevent existing instruments from generating sub-meter-per-second radial velocity (RV) precision. Although optimized for the characterization of low-mass planets using the Doppler technique, iLocater will also advance areas of research that involve crowded fields, line-blanketing, and weak absorption lines.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-01-01 | SPIE Proceedings |