by Maxime Boccas, Stephen Goodsell, Benoit Neichel, Gabriel Perez, and Scot Kleinman
Progress Report:
Gemini’s Instrument
Development
Gemini’s instrument program is firing on all cylinders and has already realized
many milestones in 2012, ranging from new detectors for the Gemini Multi-Object
Spectrograph, which are significantly extending Gemini North’s red sensitivity, to
remarkable progress on the revolutionary GeMS multi-conjugate adaptive optics
system at Gemini South. Download this article and also learn about progress on
repairs to FLAMINGOS-2 and the integration of the Gemini Planet Imager, which
will help define Gemini’s future capabilities.
The last six months at Gemini have been rich in instrument development activities. This article
focuses mainly on the Development Team’s three top priorities in 2011B: (1) the new E2V Deep
Depletion CCDs for the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph at Gemini North (GMOS-N); (2) FLAMINGOS-2 at Gemini South, and; (3) the Gemini Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics System (GeMS)
at Gemini South. We will also summarize other activities such as the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI),
Gemini’s Remote Access Spectrograph (GRACES), the Gemini High-resolution Optical Spectrograph (GHOS), and the long-range planning process now underway for instrumentation.
New GMOS-N CCDs
In early 2011, we experienced difficulty in getting the Hamamatsu CCD and controller system
to perform up to its potential. In light of this, we decided to take an intermediate step and
purchase/retrofit new E2V Deep-Depletion CCDs into GMOS-N. The Development Team accomplished this upgrade during an instrument shutdown in October and November 2011. The new
hardware was recommissioned and ready for science use by December 2011.
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GeminiFocus
June2012