The Montréal-Ohio-Victoria Échelle Spectrograph (MOVIES)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Montréal-Ohio-Victoria Échelle Spectrograph (MOVIES) Feasibility Study Final Report Submitted to the Gemini Observatories by the MOVIES team October 19, 2015 The MOVIES team Principal Investigator: Alan McConnachie, NRC Herzberg Project Scientist: Richard Pogge, Ohio State University Project Manager: Les Saddlemyer, NRC Herzberg Université de Montréal • Lead: Rene Doyon • Project Manager: Olivier Hernandez • Etienne Artigau (Detectors) Ohio State University • Lead: Richard Pogge • Project Manager: Tom O’Brien • Mark Derwent (Mechanical) NRC Herzberg • Lead: Alan McConnachie • Project Manager/Engineer: Les Saddlemyer • Tim Hardy (Electronics) • John Pazder (Optics) • Jennifer Dunn (Software) • Mara Taylor (Acquisition) • Ruben Sanchez-Janssen (Calibration) Science team • Etienne Artigau (UdM) • Rene Doyon (UdM) • Patrick Dufour (UdM) • Wes Fraser (NRC-H/Queens University, Belfast) • Pascale Hibon (Gemini) • Julie Hlavacek-Larrondo (UdM) • Chris Kochanek (OSU) • David Lafreniere (UdM) • Lison Malo (CFHT) • Alan McConnachie (NRC-H) • Tony Moffat (UdM) • Richard Pogge (OSU) • Mara Taylor (NRC-H) • Ruben Sanchez-Janssen (NRC-H) • Nicole St-Louis (UdM) • Chris Wilott (NRC-H) 2 Contents The MOVIES team .............................................................................................................. 2 Université de Montréal .................................................................................................... 2 Ohio State University ...................................................................................................... 2 NRC Herzberg ................................................................................................................. 2 Science team .................................................................................................................... 2 1 Executive Summary ..................................................................................................... 12 2 Science Objectives, Science Case and Science Requirements .................................... 14 2.1 Functional Overview of MOVIES ........................................................................ 14 2.2 Science Context .................................................................................................... 17 2.2.1 Overview ....................................................................................................... 17 2.2.2 Gemini/MOVIES as follow-up to LSST, SKA and future facilities ............. 19 2.2.3 Gemini/MOVIES as complement to JWST, Euclid and WFIRST ................ 20 2.2.4 Gemini/MOVIES as a follow-up to DESI and future MOS .......................... 21 2.2.5 Gemini/MOVIES as a science feeder for the ELTs ...................................... 21 2.3 Science Case Descriptions .................................................................................... 22 2.3.1 The Transient Universe ................................................................................. 22 2.3.2 Outer Solar System Science .......................................................................... 28 2.3.3 Stellar Populations in Nearby Galaxies ......................................................... 31 2.3.4 Low-mass Stars ............................................................................................. 41 2.3.5 Galaxies and Massive Black Holes ............................................................... 45 2.3.6 The High-Redshift Universe .......................................................................... 47 2.3.7 Exoplanet Atmospheres ................................................................................. 49 2.4 Science Requirements .......................................................................................... 52 2.4.1 Derivation ...................................................................................................... 52 2.4.2 Detailed Science Requirements ..................................................................... 57 2.5 Operational Performance ...................................................................................... 63 2.5.1 MOVIES and the Gemini instrumentation suite ........................................... 63 2.5.2 Sensitivity ...................................................................................................... 64 2.5.3 Target Acquisition and Guiding .................................................................... 70 2.5.4 Calibration Procedures .................................................................................. 75 2.5.5 Observing Block Calibrations ....................................................................... 76 2.5.6 High Cadence Observing: the benefits of large format EMCCDs ................ 77 2.6 Concept of Operations .......................................................................................... 81 3 2.6.1 A Simple Spectroscopic Target ..................................................................... 81 2.6.2 Spectroscopy of a z=6 quasar candidate ........................................................ 82 2.6.3 Spectroscopy of a very faint target ................................................................ 82 2.6.4 Time-Resolved Spectroscopy with simultaneous photometric monitoring ... 83 2.6.5 Deep Multiband Imaging ............................................................................... 84 2.6.6 Target of Opportunity .................................................................................... 85 3 Technical Requirements and Instrument Design ......................................................... 87 3.1 Top-level requirements and flow down ................................................................ 87 3.1.1 Top Level Functional Requirements ............................................................. 88 3.1.2 Top Level Performance Requirements .......................................................... 91 3.2 Systems Engineering Aspects ............................................................................... 94 3.2.1 Gemini Involvement ...................................................................................... 94 3.2.2 Methodology .................................................................................................. 94 3.3 Performance trades ............................................................................................... 95 3.3.1 Blue Performance .......................................................................................... 95 3.3.2 The suitability of GCAL for MOVIES calibration ...................................... 100 3.3.3 Optimization of the acquisition system for MOVIES ................................. 104 3.3.4 EMCCDs versus classical CCD comparison ............................................... 109 3.4 Design Overview ................................................................................................ 118 3.5 Optical design ..................................................................................................... 118 3.5.1 A&G unit ..................................................................................................... 119 3.5.2 Preslit optics ................................................................................................ 120 3.5.3 Visible spectrograph .................................................................................... 120 3.5.4 Near-infrared spectrograph .......................................................................... 122 3.5.5 Spectral resolution and spectral sampling ................................................... 123 3.5.6 Spectral format ............................................................................................ 124 3.5.7 Throughput .................................................................................................. 125 3.6 Mechanical design .............................................................................................. 127 3.6.1 MOVIES Packaging Overview ................................................................... 127 3.6.2 MOVIES Opto-mechanical Modules .......................................................... 131 3.6.3 MOVIES Cryostat Structural Design and Analysis .................................... 133 3.6.4 Cryogenic Optics Mounting ........................................................................ 136 3.6.5 Cryogenic Mechanisms ............................................................................... 137 3.6.6 OSU Cryogenic Mechanism Design Heritage ............................................. 139 4 3.6.7 Spectrograph Controller .............................................................................. 141 3.6.8 Slit Viewer Detectors .................................................................................. 143 3.6.9 NIR & VIS Science Detectors Thermal Considerations ............................. 143 3.6.10 Gemini Mechanical Interfaces ................................................................... 144 3.7 Image Detectors and Electronics ........................................................................ 148 3.7.1 Spectrograph Detectors ............................................................................... 148 3.7.2 Acquisition cameras .................................................................................... 151 3.7.3 Slit viewers .................................................................................................. 155 3.7.4 Detector electronics ....................................................................................