PMAS, the Potsdam Multi-Aperture Spectrophotometer. I. Design, Manufacture, and Performance

Details PMAS, the Potsdam Multi-Aperture Spectrophotometer. I. Design, Manufacture, and Performance PMAS, the Potsdam Multi-Aperture Spectrophotometer. I. Design, Manufacture, and Performance

2005-02-28

arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0502581v1

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

accepted for publication in PASP, 18 pages, 21 figures

Scientific paper

10.1086/429877

We describe the design, manufacture, commissioning, and performance of PMAS, the Potsdam Multi-Aperture Spectrophotometer. PMAS is a dedicated integral field spectrophotometer, optimized to cover the optical wavelength regime of 0.35--1um. It is based on the lens array -- fiber bundle principle of operation. The instrument employs an all-refractive fiber spectrograph, built with CaF2 optics, to provide good transmission and high image quality over the entire nominal wavelength range. A set of user-selectable reflective gratings provides low to medium spectral resolution in first order of approx. 1.5, 3.2, and 7 A, depending on the groove density (1200, 600, 300 gr/mm). While the standard integral field unit (IFU) uses a 16x16 element lens array, which provides seeing-limited sampling in a relatively small field-of-view (FOV) in one of three magnifications (8x8, 12x12, or 16x16 arcsec^2, respectively), a recently retrofitted bare fiber bundle IFU (PPak) expands the FOV to a hexagonal area with a footprint of 65x74 arcsec^2. Other special features include a cryogenic CCD camera for field acquisition and guiding, a nod-shuffle mode for beam switching and improved sky background subtraction, and a scanning Fabry-Perot etalon in combination with the standard IFU (PYTHEAS mode). PMAS was initially designed and built as an experimental traveling instrument with optical interfaces to various telescopes (Calar Alto 3.5m, ESO-VLT, LBT). It is offered as a common user instrument at Calar Alto under contract with MPIA Heidelberg since 2002.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

PMAS, the Potsdam Multi-Aperture Spectrophotometer. I. Design, Manufacture, and Performance does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with PMAS, the Potsdam Multi-Aperture Spectrophotometer. I. Design, Manufacture, and Performance, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and PMAS, the Potsdam Multi-Aperture Spectrophotometer. I. Design, Manufacture, and Performance will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-142020