Conference proceeding
The assembly, calibration, and preliminary results from the Colorado high-resolution Echelle stellar spectrograph (CHESS)
SPACE TELESCOPES AND INSTRUMENTATION 2014: ULTRAVIOLET TO GAMMA RAY, Vol.9144, pp.914406-914406-17
Proceedings of SPIE
01/01/2014
DOI: 10.1117/12.2055661
Abstract
The Colorado High-resolution Echelle Stellar Spectrograph (CHESS) is a far ultraviolet (FUV) rocket-borne experiment designed to study the atomic-to-molecular transitions within translucent interstellar clouds. CHESS is an objective echelle spectrograph operating at f/12.4 and resolving power of 120,000 over a band pass of 100 -160 nm. The echelle flight grating is the product of a research and development (R&D) project with LightSmyth Inc. and was coated at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) with Al+LiF. It has an empirically-determined groove density of 71.67 grooves/mm. At the Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy (CASA) at the University of Colorado (CU), we measured the efficiencies of the peak and adjacent dispersion orders throughout the 90 - 165 nm band pass to characterize the behavior of the grating for pre-flight calibrations and to assess the scattered-light behavior. The crossdispersing grating, developed and ruled by Horiba Jobin-Yvon, is a holographically-ruled, low line density (351 grooves/mm), powered optic with a toroidal surface curvature. The CHESS cross-disperser was also coated at GSFC; Cr+Al+LiF was deposited to enhance far-UV efficiency. Results from final efficiency and reflectivity measurements of both optics are presented. We utilize a cross-strip anode microchannel plate (MCP) detector built by Sensor Sciences to achieve high resolution (25 mu m spatial resolution) and data collection rates (similar to 10(6) photons/second) over a large format (40mm round, digitized to 8k x 8k) for the first time in an astronomical sounding rocket flight. The CHESS instrument was successfully launched from White Sands Missile Range on 24 May 2014. We present pre-flight sensitivity, effective area calculations, lab spectra and calibration results, and touch on first results and post-flight calibration plans.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The assembly, calibration, and preliminary results from the Colorado high-resolution Echelle stellar spectrograph (CHESS)
- Creators
- Keri Hoadley - University of Colorado BoulderKevin France - Univ Colorado, Ctr Astrophys & Space Astron, Boulder, CO 80309 USANicholas Nell - University of Colorado BoulderRobert Kane - University of Colorado BoulderTed Schultz - University of IowaMatthew Beasley - Planetary Science InstituteJames Green - University of Colorado BoulderJen Kulow - University of Colorado BoulderEliot Kersgaard - University of Colorado BoulderBrian Fleming - University of Colorado Boulder
- Contributors
- T Takahashi (Editor)JWA DenHerder (Editor)M Bautz (Editor)
- Resource Type
- Conference proceeding
- Publication Details
- SPACE TELESCOPES AND INSTRUMENTATION 2014: ULTRAVIOLET TO GAMMA RAY, Vol.9144, pp.914406-914406-17
- Publisher
- Spie-Int Soc Optical Engineering
- Series
- Proceedings of SPIE
- DOI
- 10.1117/12.2055661
- ISSN
- 0277-786X
- eISSN
- 1996-756X
- Number of pages
- 17
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 01/01/2014
- Academic Unit
- Physics and Astronomy
- Record Identifier
- 9984429056302771
Metrics
2 Record Views