IRCS: infrared camera and spectrograph for the Subaru Telescope

TLDR

IRCS is a Subaru facility instrument optimized for high‑resolution imaging with adaptive optics and tip‑tilt across 1–5 µm. The authors report the current status of the IR Camera and Spectrograph (IRCS) for the Subaru Telescope. IRCS consists of a cross‑dispersed spectrograph for mid‑ to high‑resolution spectra and a near‑IR camera with two pixel scales and grisms for low‑ to medium‑resolution spectroscopy, and was initially evaluated without AO or tip‑tilt to verify its performance and telescope interface. The first engineering run, completed a month before the conference, confirmed the expected basic imaging and spectroscopic capabilities.

Abstract

We report current status of the IR Camera and Spectrograph (IRCS) for the Subaru Telescope. IRCS is a Subaru facility instrument optimized for high-resolution images with adaptive optics (AO) and tip-tilt at 1-5 micrometers . IRCS consists of two parts: one is a cross-dispersed spectrograph providing mid to high spectral resolution, the other is a near-IR camera with two pixel scales, which also serves as an IR slit-viewer for the echelle spectrograph. The camera also has grisms for low to medium resolution spectroscopy. We have just completed the first engineering run about one month before this SPIE conference. It was an initial performance evaluation without AO or tip-tilt to check IRCS and its interface to the telescope. We confirmed the basic imaging and spectroscopic capability we had estimated.