An overview of the NIRSPEC upgrade for the Keck II telescope

TL;DR

The paper details the comprehensive upgrade of NIRSPEC on Keck II, enhancing its detectors, electronics, and software to improve sensitivity, stability, and operational lifetime for diverse astronomical observations.

Contribution

It introduces a complete redesign of NIRSPEC's detectors, electronics, and software, significantly advancing its performance and longevity.

Findings

Successful integration of Teledyne H2RG detectors

Enhanced instrument sensitivity and stability

Extended operational lifetime of NIRSPEC

Abstract

NIRSPEC is a 1-5 micron echelle spectrograph in use on the Keck II Telescope since 1999. The spectrograph is capable of both moderate (R~2,000) and high (R~25,000) resolution observations and has been a workhorse instrument across many astronomical fields, from planetary science to extragalactic observations. In the latter half of 2018, we will upgrade NIRSPEC to improve the sensitivity and stability of the instrument and increase its lifetime. The major components of the upgrade include replacing the spectrometer and slit-viewing camera detectors with Teledyne H2RG arrays and replacing all transputer-based electronics. We present detailed design, testing, and analysis of the upgraded instrument, including the finalized optomechanical design of the new 1-5 micron slit-viewing camera, final alignment and assembly of the science array, electronics systems, and updated software design.