Science Requirements and Trade-offs for the MOSAIC Instrument for the European ELT

TL;DR

This paper outlines the scientific goals and technical requirements for the MOSAIC instrument on the European ELT, emphasizing trade-offs between high multiplex and high definition observations to optimize scientific output.

Contribution

It defines top-level instrument requirements based on scientific cases, guiding the Phase A design study of MOSAIC for the European ELT.

Findings

Requirements cover full range of E-ELT science cases

Trade-offs between multiplexing and resolution are analyzed

Design considerations are informed by science-driven trade-off studies

Abstract

Building on the comprehensive White Paper on the scientific case for multi-object spectroscopy on the European ELT, we present the top-level instrument requirements that are being used in the Phase A design study of the MOSAIC concept. The assembled cases span the full range of E-ELT science and generally require either 'high multiplex' or 'high definition' observations to best exploit the excellent sensitivity and spatial performance of the telescope. We highlight some of the science studies that are now being used in trade-off studies to inform the capabilities of MOSAIC and its technical design.