The Southern African Large Telescope
(SALT)
Prime Focus Imaging Spectrograph
The University of Wisconsin - Madison, together with Rutgers
University and South African Astronomical Observatory, proposes to
build a Imaging Spectrograph for the Prime Focus Instrument Package of
the SALT telescope. The PFIS would
specialize in very high throughput low and medium resolution (R = 500
- 12000) spectroscopy, high time resolution spectroscopy, and
spectropolarimetry from 3200 to 9000 Angstroms, using an articulated
camera and Volume Phase Holographic gratings and a double etalon
Fabry-Perot system. With a peak efficiency near 60% and a 3200
Angstrom efficiency above 25%, it would be unique among or superior to
existing 8-10m telescopes in the UV, in medium resolution
spectroscopy, in Fabry- Perot spectroscopy, and in spectropolarimetry.
On-line documents
- PFIS talk for the UW Astronomy Dept, May 11, 2000
- PFIS Concept Proposal
for the SALT Science Working Group, May 24, 2000.
- PFIS Status Report to
the SALT Science Working Group, Aug 30, 2000.
- PFIS Status Report to the
SALT Science Working Group, April 19, 2001.
- Provisional Specifications, 30 May, 2001
SALT Consortium PFIS Questionnaire Results, 25 July, 2001.
last update: Sept 24 2001, MAB