Mauna Kea Site Monitoring Working Group 1998 Activities

1
(No Transcript)
2
WFMOS as a Bridge to the Future for Gemini
Subaru

• Doug Simons
• Director, Gemini Observatory

3
Three Presentations One Message
WFMOS in the Aspen Context
Gemini Fundamentals
Gemini Design
Collaborations Overarching Considerations
WFMOS Current Status Next Steps
WFMOS Negotiations
Gemini/Subaru Science Instrumentation
Kentaro Motohara
Chris Packham
4
Gemini Fundamentals
5
Two Telescopes - One Observatory
To our community, Gemini appears and functions as
a single observatory - the only major ground
based observatory that is capable of targeting
any object in the sky
6
Gemini Observatory Management Structure

• The Gemini Director has many bosses, some real,
  others virtual, all important
• Requires careful attention, clear communication,
  and regular interaction with many key
  stakeholders
• Gemini Board has ultimate authority
• AURA provides the business and legal framework
  within which Gemini functions

7
Current Status

• GMOS
• NICI
• T-ReCS
• FLAMINGOS-2
• GSAOI
• MCAO

• GMOS
• NIRI
• ALTAIRLGS
• MICHELLE
• NIFS
• GNIRS

Baseline Modes Commissioned Instrument Under
Development
8
Aspen Instrument Program
Gemini Planet Imager
Precision Radial Velocity Spectrometer
Wide Field Multi- Object Spectrometer
Ground Layer Adaptive Optics
9
Aspen Instrument Program
Gemini Planet Imager

• Conceptual design studies completed successfully
• Instrument procurement canceled due to lack of
  funding and higher priority given to WFMOS

• High performance coronagraph
• 107 contrast ratio
• Being built by a number of institutions led by
  LLNL
• Scheduled for deployment at Gemini-South in 2011

Precision Radial Velocity Spectrometer
Wide Field Multi- Object Spectrometer

• AAO and JPL are now completing competitive design
  studies for WFMOS
• Conceptual design studies will be reviewed Feb.
  09
• Gemini Board decision regarding proceeding with
  WFMOS - May 09

• UH completed site testing in 2008
• Results indicate that a GLAO system at Gemini-N
  would be powerful
• Decision to proceed with GLAO 2010?

Ground Layer Adaptive Optics
10
IR Optimized Telescope Design
11
IR Optimized Telescope Design
4-Layer Protected Silver Coatings
3 total emissivity
12
IR Optimized Telescope Design

• Reduced cross-section secondary mirror supports
  designed to minimize diffracted light in PSF

Typical strehl achieved is 60-75 _at_ 10 ?m
13
IR Optimized Telescope Design

• However, the same design features which allow
  Gemini to excel as an infrared optimized
  telescope make it difficult to support prime
  focus instruments (like WFMOS)

14
The Subaru/Gemini CollaborationSome Overarching
Considerations
15
Some Overarching Considerations

• There is an inevitable trend in science toward
  international collaboration and Gemini and Subaru
  are uniquely poised to lead the way among 8-10 m
  class facilities worldwide
• Subaru and Gemini each have unique capabilities
  that would help the other community
• Subaru world class wide field instrumentation
  (optical and NIR)
• Gemini IR optimization, all-sky access fast
  response modes

16
Some Overarching Considerations

• In general scientific collaborations should be
• Mutually beneficial
• Founded on fair and equitable terms
• Designed to provide partners with research
  opportunities that they would not otherwise have
• Take advantage of natural synergies
• Tailored to avoid costly capability duplication
  between observatories

17
Some Overarching Considerations

• In many ways the WFMOS initiative is just a
  catalyst for fostering a scientific collaboration
  between the Subaru and Gemini communities
• If we do not proceed with WFMOS, for any reason,
  I urge that we continue to nurture future
  scientific collaboration based on other
  capabilities unique to Subaru and Gemini

18
WFMOS Current Status and Next Steps
19
WFMOS Negotiations

• Discussion topics to date have included
• Duration of agreement
• Cost sharing
• Time exchange parameters
• Commissioning and maintenance considerations
• Other related issues
• Motohara-san will summarize negotiations in more
  detail in the next presentation

20
WFMOS Baseline Design Guidelines

• Wavelength Range 0.39 1.0 µm
• Field of View 1.5 deg diameter
• Spatial Sampling 1 arcsec fiber entrance
• Spectral Resolution R1800 3500 (3000 fibers)
  and R40,000 (1500 fibers)
• One-shot wavelength coverage 0.39 to 1.0 µm
  (low resolution spectrographs), gt100 Å (high
  resolution spectrographs)
• Simultaneous stellar targets 4500
• Detector operating modes standard readout or
  nod shuffle as required to achieve the
  science goals.

21
WFMOS Trade Studies

• WFMOS teams will include in their proposals a
  number of trades studies to determine the optimal
  WFMOS design/cost needed to support the science
  goals of the instrument
• Trades can include many things including -
• Acquisition field size
• Vignetting
• Multiplex gains
• Total survey time
• Fiber manipulation schemes
• Manufacturing risks for key components
• Science impact of cost-saving reductions in the
  baseline WFMOS capabilities

22
Two WFMOSConceptual Design Study Teams

• JPL Team
• PI Richard Ellis
• Caltech
• Penn State
• ATC
• Cambridge IofA
• U. College London
• LNA Brazil

• AAO Team
• PI Sam Barden
• NOAO
• U. Oxford/RAL
• U. Portsmouth
• U. Durham
• Johns Hopkins U.
• RAL

Two competitive conceptual design studies are
being performed by large, international teams.
They will be completed in Feb. 2009
23
WFMOS Decision Process

• After the WFMOS Conceptual Design Review (Feb.
  22-23) a number of discussions will be held
  leading to a May Gemini Board meeting decision
  about proceeding with WFMOS
• Gemini and Subaru will consider the review
  committee report jointly before a recommendation
  is made to Gemini Board
• Subaru and Gemini SACs will consider science
  implications of any significant design changes in
  WFMOS
• Draft Subaru/Gemini agreement will be negotiated
  and submitted for consideration by Gemini Board
  and NAOJ

24
Possible Concerns

• Number of fibers in WFMOS
• The design will include a complex trade between
  fiber number, throughput, field of view, etc.
• Together these design parameters determine the
  amount of telescope time needed to complete a
  survey and the amount of telescope time needed
  will not be allowed to be prohibitive as
  design/cost options are weighed

25
Possible Concerns

• Delay in delivery
• Historically Gemini instruments have been
  delivered 1-2 years late
• Typical of other observatories
• NIFS (2) and GSAOI were Geminis best performers,
  bHROS and FLAMINGOS-2 our worst
• It is in the strategic interests of everyone to
  ensure that WFMOS is deployed on schedule
• If approved, Gemini will increase the size of its
  development group to help oversee the timely
  delivery of WFMOS
• Gemini and Subaru will interact regularly
  throughout the development period of the
  instrument to ensure design trades meet
  everyones needs

26
Possible Concerns

• Funding challenges
• The global economic crisis is effecting
  essentially all segments of society and astronomy
  is no different
• Gemini funding for WFMOS remains uncertain
• The US funding situation in particular should be
  clarified in the next 2-3 months
• Funding for Geminis operations will be given
  higher priority than its development program

27
Gemini Commitment to WFMOS

• Today, 5 years after the Aspen Workshop, WFMOS
  remains the highest priority instrument in
  Geminis development program with strong support
  from the
• Gemini Science Committee
• Gemini Board of Directors
• Gemini Community
• Both personally and on behalf of Gemini
  Observatory, I thank you for the opportunity to
  share these perspectives on Gemini, WFMOS, and
  hopefully a long lasting scientific partnership
  between our observatories

28
Exploring the Universe, Sharing its Wonders