Abstract

The use of adaptive optics (AO) corrected stellar images with spectrographs enables high spectral resolution to be achieved with low slit losses, reductions in spectrograph component size, and greater wavelength coverage per exposure. Coupling the instrument to the telescope with an optical fiber allows greater flexibility in instrument location and provides more homogeneous illumination of the spectrograph. The adaptively corrected echelle spectrograph (Aces) uses a fiber designed for single-mode applications to couple light from the telescope AO output to the instrument, which operates in the wavelength range ~400-1000nm. The Aces spectrograph utilizes an R2 echelle grating in near Littrow configuration as the primary disperser with a 21° BK7 prism for cross dispersion. Approximately 100 echelle orders are imaged simultaneously on the 4096x2048 pixel CCD, giving over 400nm coverage per exposure [1]. A multi-axis fiber positioner at the telescope focus provides alignment of the output beam with the fiber while microscope objectives at the fiber input and output provide focal ratio matching for optimal coupling..

© 2003 Optical Society of America