Journal Article

Hectochelle: A Multiobject Optical Echelle Spectrograph for the MMT

Goddard, Richard, Meibom, Soeren, Dupree, Andrea, Fabricant, Daniel, Amato, Stephen, Bergner, Henry, Furesz, Gabor, Meszaros, Szabolcz, Wyatt, William, Eng, Roger, Pieri, Mario, Conroy, Maureen, Johnston, Everett, Epps, Harland, Geary, John, Cheimets, Peter, Caldwell, Nelson, Mink, Douglas, McLeod, Brian, Roll, John, Hartmann, Lee, Zajac, Joseph, Szentgyorgyi, Andrew, Fata, Robert, Gauron, Thomas, Tokarz, Susan

2011

Overview

The Hectochelle is an optical band, fiber-fed, multiobject echelle spectrograph deployed at the MMT Observatory on Mount Hopkins, Arizona. The optical fibers that feed the Hectochelle are positioned by the Hectospec robot positioner on the MMT f/5 focal surface, and the Hectochelle shares an optical fiber feed system with the Hectospec, a moderate-dispersion spectrograph that is collocated with the Hectochelle. Hectochelle can record up to 240 spectra simultaneously at a resolution of 38,000. Spectra cover a single diffractive order that is approximately 150 Å wide. The total potential operating passband of the Hectochelle extends from 3800 Å to 9000 Å. Operated in conjunction with the MMT f/5 secondary, the MMT wide-field corrector, and the atmospheric dispersion compensator, the patrol field is 1° in diameter and the individual fiber slits are 1.5′′ in diameter. The throughput of the combined telescope, fiber feed, and spectrograph is measured to be 6.1% at 5275 Å, exclusive of atmospheric extinction. A 20 minute observation of a V = 15 V = 15 F-type star yields a signal-to-noise ratio of 35 per resolution element. Hectochelle had first light 2003 December 4 and continues to be operated at the MMT today.

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Subject: Astronomy / Earth, ocean, space / Exact sciences and technology