Portable telescope for surveys of diffuse near-infrared line emission

Eric W. Klumpe; Daniel T. Jaffe

doi:10.1117/12.317338

21 August 1998 Portable telescope for surveys of diffuse near-infrared line emission

Eric W. Klumpe, Daniel T. Jaffe

Proceedings Volume 3354, Infrared Astronomical Instrumentation; (1998) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.317338
Event: Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, 1998, Kona, HI, United States

Abstract

Spectroscopic studies of degree-scale IR line emission from telescopes on the Earth's surface are very challenging. Not only does the emission from atmospheric OH molecules fluctuate in time and vary spatially, but also the extent of interstellar clouds makes it impossible to establish a zero point for flux measurements close to the emission regions. Beam-switching can solve both problems, but traditional telescopes cannot switch between fields that are several degrees apart before the OH emission changes significantly. We present here the design for a telescope we have constructed in order to obtain quantitative measures of the extended, UV-excited, near-IR line flux from the Galactic Center and from nearby star-forming clouds. It uses a coelostat to beam-switch across angels as large as 10 degrees in less than 1 second. Its 20 arc-minute beamsize, combined with its 150 mm aperture, gives it a surface brightness sensitivity comparable to much larger telescopes, while maintaining portability. This telescope, integrated with a Fabry-Perot spectrometer, has been used successfully at both McDonald Observatory and the Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory and has mapped near-IR molecular hydrogen emission over the inner 10 degrees of the Galaxy for the first time.

Citation Download Citation

Eric W. Klumpe and Daniel T. Jaffe "Portable telescope for surveys of diffuse near-infrared line emission", Proc. SPIE 3354, Infrared Astronomical Instrumentation, (21 August 1998); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.317338

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