Related papers: The wide-field infrared transient explorer (WINTER…
We discuss a cryogenic, multi-object near-infrared spectrometer as a second generation instrument for the VLT. The spectrometer combines 20 to 40 independent integral eld units (IFUs), which can be positioned by a cryogenic robot over the…
The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), a NASA MIDEX mission, will survey the entire sky in four bands from 3.3 to 23 microns with a sensitivity 1000 times greater than the IRAS survey. The WISE survey will extend the Two Micron All…
We have developed and characterized an imaging instrument to measure the spatial properties of the diffuse near-infrared extragalactic background light in a search for fluctuations from z > 6 galaxies during the epoch of reionization. The…
We report results of a recently-completed pre-Formulation Phase study of SPIRIT, a candidate NASA Origins Probe mission. SPIRIT is a spatial and spectral interferometer with an operating wavelength range 25 - 400 microns. SPIRIT will…
We present results from commissioning observations of the mid-IR instrument, MIRAC-5, on the 6.5-m MMT telescope. MIRAC-5 is a novel ground-based instrument that utilizes a state-of-the-art GeoSnap (2 - 13 microns) HgCdTe detector with…
MIDIR is the proposed thermal/mid-IR imager and spectrograph for the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). It will cover the wavelength range of 3 to at least 20 microns. Designed for diffraction-limited performance over the entire…
This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the subsystems of the NIGHT instrument. NIGHT (the Near Infrared Gatherer of Helium Transits) is a narrowband, high-resolution spectrograph, marking the first dedicated survey instrument for…
The first direct detection of gravitational waves (GW) by the ground-based interferometers is expected to occur within the next few years. These interferometers will detect the mergers of compact object binaries composed of neutron stars…
In the era of sky surveys like Palomar Transient Factory (PTF), Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) and the upcoming Vera Rubin Observatory (VRO) and ILMT, a plethora of image data will be available. ZTF scans the sky with a field of view of 48…
We have recently commissioned a novel infrared ($0.9-1.7$ $\mu$m) integral field spectrograph (IFS) called the Wide Integral Field Infrared Spectrograph (WIFIS). WIFIS is a unique instrument that offers a very large field-of-view…
The Photo-z InfraRed Telescope (PIRT) is an instrument on the Gamow Explorer, currently proposed for a NASA Astrophysics Medium Explorer. PIRT works in tandem with a companion wide-field instrument, the Lobster Eye X-ray Telescope (LEXT),…
SPINOR is a new spectro-polarimeter that will serve as a facility instrument for the Dunn Solar Telescope at the National Solar Observatory. This instrument is capable of achromatic operation over a very broad range of wavelengths, from…
WIRC+Pol is a near-infrared low-resolution spectropolarimeter on the 200-inch Telescope at Palomar Observatory. The instrument utilizes a polarization grating to perform polarimetric beam splitting and spectral dispersion simultaneously. It…
The Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) is expected to launch in the mid-2020s. With its wide-field near-infrared (NIR) camera, it will survey the sky to unprecedented detail. As part of normal operations and as the result of…
The Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) is a multi-epochal robotic survey of the northern sky that acquires data for the scientific study of transient and variable astrophysical phenomena. The camera and telescope provide for wide-field imaging…
We describe test observations made with a customized 640 x 512 pixel Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) prototype astronomical camera on the 100" DuPont telescope. This is the first test of InGaAs as a cost-effective alternative to HgCdTe for…
[NIRSS is one of three concepts that contributed to the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) mission advocated by the Decadal Survey.] Operating beyond the reaches of the Earth's atmosphere, free of its limiting absorption and…
Measuring the faint polarization signal of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) not only requires high optical throughput and instrument sensitivity but also control over systematic effects. Polarimetric cameras or receivers used in this…
The Gemini Infrared Multi-Object Spectrograph (GIRMOS) is a powerful new instrument being built to facility-class standards for the Gemini telescope. It takes advantage of the latest developments in adaptive optics and integral field…
Exploration of the time variability on the sky over a broad range of flux levels and wavelengths is rapidly becoming a new frontier of astronomical research. We describe here briefly the Palomar-QUEST survey being carried out from the…