CubeSpec: LED-based calibration system

Le résumé fourni par la source

CubeSpec is an in-orbit CubeSat mission aiming to demonstrate high-spectral-resolution astronomical spectroscopy with a 10 × 20cm2 aperture telescope. A robust calibration system is crucial for CubeSpec’s spectrograph to operate reliably and autonomously. Typically, flat-field illumination defines order locations, while a line source ties wavelength values to detector pixels. The main challenge is to fit everything into a 10 × 10 × 20cm3 volume without forfeiting quality and control. This work proposes Calibration Unit for CUbespec (CUCU). CUCU offers a compact, energy-efficient calibration solution for space-borne spectrograph platforms, miniaturizing both calibration stages. A blue and white LED coupled into one fiber produce the continuum light source, spanning the spectrograph’s operational range of 420nm to 620nm. The line standards emerge from injecting collimated LED light into a solid Fabry-P´erot etalon. To satisfy the mission requirements, CUCU should deliver calibration exposures with an SNR of 200. Throughput measurements estimate calibration exposures to take no longer than 0.5s.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.