Related papers: Smart Focal Plane Technologies for VLT Instruments

The EAGLE instrument is a Multi-Object Adaptive Optics (MOAO) fed, multiple Integral Field Spectrograph (IFS), working in the Near Infra-Red (NIR), on the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). A Phase A design study was delivered to…

Dedicated to spectroscopic and imaging observations of the ultraviolet sky, the World Space Observatory for Ultraviolet Project is a Russia led international collaboration presently involving also China, Germany, Italy, Spain and Ukraine.…

From the scientific objectives of the Next Generation Space Telescope, this paper tries to constrain the design of the NGST Multi-Object Spectrograph. Several technical alternatives are presented that could address the requirements of the…

The VLTI Spectro Imager (VSI) was proposed as a second-generation instrument of the Very Large Telescope Interferometer providing the ESO community with spectrally-resolved, near-infrared images at angular resolutions down to 1.1…

EAGLE is a Phase A study of a multi-IFU, near-IR spectrometer for the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). The design employs wide-field adaptive optics to deliver excellent image quality across a large (38.5 arcmin sq.) field. When…

The challenges of multi-wavelength astrophysics require new outlooks from those appropriate to traditional astronomy. The next generation of research scientists must be trained to exploit the potentiality now being provided for the first…

We review the current status of the facility instrumentation for the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). The LBT has 2x 8.4m primary mirrors on a single mount with an effective collecting area of 11.8m or 23m when interferometrically combined.…

The Big Fringe Telescope (BFT) is a facility concept under development for a next-generation, kilometer-scale optical interferometer. Observations over the past two decades from routinely operational facilities such as CHARA and VLTI have…

We present a new program aimed at developing a new generation of micromirror devices specifically tailored for astronomical applications, multi-slit spectroscopy in particular. We first overview the general characteristics of…

Adaptive optics systems are essential on all large telescopes where image quality is important. These are complex systems with many design parameters requiring optimisation before good performance can be achieved. The simulation of adaptive…

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) is a wide-field imaging system of unprecedented etendue. The initial goal of the project is to carry out a ten year imaging survey in six broad passbands (ugrizy) that cover $350 nm < \lambda < 1.1…

The Wide-Field Spectroscopic Telescope (WST) is a concept for a 12-m class seeing-limited telescope providing two concentric fields of view for simultaneous Multi-Object Spectroscopy and Integral Field Spectroscopy. The specified wavelength…

A new detector controller, NGCII, is in development for the first-generation instruments of the ELT as well as new instruments for the VLT. Building on experience with previous ESO detector controllers, a modular system based on the…

There are numerous advantages to exploiting diffraction-limited instrumentation at astronomical observatories, which include smaller footprints, less mechanical and thermal instabilities and high levels of performance. To realize such…

Multi-plane light conversion (MPLC) has recently been developed as a versatile tool for manipulating spatial distributions of the optical field through repeated phase modulations. An MPLC Device consists of a series of phase masks separated…

A large fraction of the present-day stellar mass was formed between z=0.5 and z~3 and our understanding of the formation mechanisms at work at these epochs requires both high spatial and high spectral resolution: one shall simultaneously}…

We outline the challenges associated with the development and construction of large focal plane arrays for use both on the ground and in space. Using lessons learned from existing JPL-led and ASU/JPL partnership efforts to develop…

The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) is a strategic instrument of the LBT designed for high-sensitivity, high-contrast, and high-resolution infrared (1.5-13 $\mu$m) imaging of nearby planetary systems. To carry out a wide…

We present the latest update of the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope interferometer (VLTI). The operations of VLTI have greatly improved in the past years: reduction of the execution time; better offering of telescopes…

The next generation of solar telescopes will enable us to resolve the fundamental scales of the solar atmosphere, i.e., the pressure scale height and the photon mean free path. High-resolution observations of small-scale structures with…