SCALES: an adaptive optics integral field spectrograph for imaging exoplanets where they peak in brightness

Le résumé fourni par la source

We give an update on the status of the thermal infrared (2-5 micron) low- to mid-spectral resolution (R=lambda/delta_lambda~20-5,000), lenslet-based, integral-field spectrograph and 1-5 micron imager, the Slicer Combined with Array of Lenslets for Exoplanet Science (SCALES). SCALES is deployed at the W. M. Keck Observatory behind the Keck II telescope’s Adaptive Optics (AO) system, and delivers diffraction-limited performance across its bandpass. The instrument has several key design features, including a selectable-wavelength monochromator for wavelength calibration; homologous construction of its bench, mechanisms, mounts, and optics; a slicer reimager to provide a discontinuous pseudoslit for mid-resolution spectroscopy; and a large, static lenslet array with two sub-arrays of lenslets used to feed a common spectrograph for both low- and mid-resolution modes. Since the 2024 SPIE meeting, SCALES has been fully integrated at UCSC and is expected to achieve first light in Spring 2026.

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