A consortium of UK, Australian and Japanese groups is designing a fibre-fed near IR (J & H band) multi-object spectrograph (FMOS) for the Subaru telescope. The prime focus of the telescope will support a 400-fibre multi-object positioning system, ECHIDNA. However, the IR spectrographs (of which there are two) are to be located close to the Nasmyth platform, so an interconnecting optical feed is required to deliver light from ECHIDNA. The Astronomical Instrumentation Group at the University of Durham is undertaking the design and construction of a suitable fibre-optic downlink. To allow the prime focus unit that houses ECHIDNA to be removed, the fibre cable is to include a connectorized break, located at the telescope top-end ring. The optical design also calls for a change in focal ratio from that delivered by ECHIDNA in order to couple light to the spectrograph with the greatest efficiency. This will be achieved in the connector coupling by means of an array of high-efficiency GRIN microlenses. The connector will additionally incorporate an integral back-illumination system for on-telescope testing and calibration. This paper describes the preliminary design of the fibre system that is to be constructed in Durham.
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