Related papers: Sphinx: a massively multiplexed fiber positioner f…
Photonic technologies offer numerous advantages for astronomical instruments such as spectrographs and interferometers owing to their small footprints and diverse range of functionalities. Operating at the diffraction-limit, it is…
Taipan is a multi-object spectroscopic galaxy survey starting in 2017 that will cover 2pi steradians over the southern sky, and obtain optical spectra for about two million galaxies out to z<0.4. Taipan will use the newly-refurbished 1.2m…
The utilization of a 6.5m monolithic primary mirror in a compact three-mirror anastigmat (TMA) telescope design offers unprecedented capabilities to accommodate various next generation science instruments. This design enables the rapid and…
The PFS is a multi-object spectrograph fed by 2394 fibers at the prime focus of Subaru telescope. Since the F/# at the prime focus is too fast for the spectrograph, we designed a small concave-plano negative lens to be attached to the tip…
The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE) project will provide multi-object spectroscopy in the optical and near-infrared bands using an 11.25-m aperture telescope, repurposing the original Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) site. MSE…
A new high-order adaptive optics system is now being commissioned at the Lick Observatory Shane 3-meter telescope in California. This system uses a high return efficiency sodium beacon and a combination of low and high-order deformable…
WEAVE, the new wide-field, massively multiplexed spectroscopic survey facility for the William Herschel Telescope, will see first light in late 2022. WEAVE comprises a new 2-degree field-of-view prime-focus corrector system, a nearly…
We measure the spin of XTE J1550-564 in two ways: by modelling the thermal continuum spectrum of the accretion disc, and independently by modeling the broad red wing of the reflection fluorescence Fe-K line. We find that the spin…
We report on the prototyping of a plastic scintillator hodoscope with wavelength-shifting fibre read-out by a multi-anode photomultiplier as part of the development of a detector for cosmic ray muons to be carried aboard an aircraft. Light…
SPHiNX is a proposed satellite-borne gamma-ray burst polarimeter operating in the energy range 50-500 keV. The mission aims to probe the fundamental mechanism responsible for gamma-ray burst prompt emission through polarisation…
The Simons Observatory is a new ground-based cosmic microwave background experiment, which is currently being commissioned in Chile's Atacama Desert. During its survey, the observatory's small aperture telescopes will map 10% of the sky in…
In this paper we present the first on-sky results with the fibered aperture masking instrument FIRST. Its principle relies on the combination of spatial filtering and aperture masking using single-mode fibers, a novel technique that is…
We introduce our new program to develop two-dimensional MEMS arrays of individually addressable micro-mirrors (''Micro-Mirror Devices'', MMDs) specifically optimized for astronomy, multi-slit spectroscopy in particular. After reviewing the…
High-multiplex and deep spectroscopic follow-up of upcoming panoramic deep-imaging surveys like LSST, Euclid, and WFIRST is a widely recognized and increasingly urgent necessity. No current or planned facility at a U.S. observatory meets…
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, consisting of 5020 robotic fiber positioners and associated systems on the Mayall telescope at Kitt Peak, Arizona, is carrying out a survey to measure the spectra of 40 million galaxies and quasars…
The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) is conceived as an 8.4-m telescope with CCD or CMOS focal plane covering most of a field 0.6 m in diameter, the latter exceeding the size of the largest photographic plates ever used in astronomy.…
Due to their high frame rates, high sensitivity, low noise, and low dark current, SAPHIRA detectors provide new capabilities for astronomical observations. The SAPHIRA detector is a 320x256@24 $\mu$m pixel HgCdTe linear avalanche photodiode…
The SPace Infrared telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics (SPICA) is a proposed mid-to-far infrared (4-200 um) astronomy mission, scheduled for launch in 2017. A single, 3.5m aperture telescope would provide superior image quality at…
We developed a scan mirror mechanism (SMM) that enable a slit-based spectrometer or spectropolarimeter to precisely and quickly map an astronomical object. The SMM, designed to be installed in the optical path preceding the entrance slit,…
Walking quadruped robots face challenges in positioning their feet and lifting their legs during gait cycles over uneven terrain. The robot Laika is under development as a quadruped with a flexible, actuated spine designed to assist with…