Jason Ramsey

Cuticular Hydrocarbon Variability Among Triatoma dimidiata (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) Populations from Mexico and Guatemala

Abstract The geographic variation in the cuticular hydrocarbon pattern among 11 populations of Triatoma dimidiata Latreille (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) from different regions of Mexico and Guatemala, was studied using capillary gas chromatography. T. dimidiata populations were differentiated based on the relative amounts of 71 hydrocarbon components. Insect population classification was mostly in agreement with their geographical vicinity; Mexican populations from the Yucatan peninsula grouped together with those from northern Guatemala, insects from the Mexican Gulf coast states were closely related to those collected from northern Oaxaca, and to a lesser extent, to insects from Chiapas. Insects from southern Oaxaca were clustered together with those from southern Guatemala. All these populations were clearly separated from Guatemalan specimens collected in caves from Alta Verapaz.

VIRUS: production and deployment of a massively replicated fiber integral field spectrograph for the upgraded Hobby-Eberly Telescope

The Visible Integral-field Replicable Unit Spectrograph (VIRUS) consists of a baseline build of 150 identical spectrographs (arrayed as 75 unit pairs) fed by 33,600 fibers, each 1.5 arcsec diameter, at the focus of the upgraded 10 m Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET). VIRUS has a fixed bandpass of 350-550 nm and resolving power R~700. VIRUS is the first example of industrial-scale replication applied to optical astronomy and is capable of surveying large areas of sky, spectrally. The VIRUS concept offers significant savings of engineering effort, cost, and schedule when compared to traditional instruments. The main motivator for VIRUS is to map the evolution of dark energy for the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX), using 0.8M Lyman-α emitting galaxies as tracers. The full VIRUS array is due to be deployed starting at the end of 2014 and will provide a powerful new facility instrument for the HET, well suited to the survey niche of the telescope, and will open up large area surveys of the emission line universe for the first time. VIRUS is in full production, and we are about half way through. We review the production design, lessons learned in reaching volume production, and preparation for deployment of this massive instrument. We also discuss the application of the replicated spectrograph concept to next generation instrumentation on ELTs.

Deployment of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope wide field upgrade

The Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) is an innovative large telescope located in West Texas at the McDonald Observatory. The HET operates with a fixed segmented primary and has a tracker, which moves the four-mirror optical corrector and prime focus instrument package to track the sidereal and non-sidereal motions of objects. A major upgrade of the HET is in progress that will substantially increase the pupil size to 10 meters (from 9.2 m) and the field of view to 22 arcminutes (from 4 arcminutes) by replacing the corrector, tracker, and prime focus instrument package. In addition to supporting existing instruments, and a new low resolution spectrograph, this wide field upgrade will feed a revolutionary new integral field spectrograph called VIRUS, in support of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX§). The upgrade is being installed and this paper discusses the current status.

The construction, alignment, and installation of the VIRUS spectrograph

VIRUS is the massively replicated fiber-fed spectrograph being built for the Hobby-Eberly Telescope to support HETDEX (the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment). The instrument consists of 156 identical channels, fed by 34,944 fibers contained in 78 integral field units, deployed in the 22 arcminute field of the upgraded HET. VIRUS covers 350-550nm at R ≈ 700 and is built to target Lyman α emitters at 1.9 < z < 3.5 to measure the evolution of dark energy. Here we present the assembly line construction of the VIRUS spectrographs, including their alignment and plans for characterization. We briefly discuss plans for installation on the telescope. The spectrographs are being installed on the HET in several stages, and the instrument is due for completion by the end of 2014.

Design, alignment, and deployment of the Hobby Eberly Telescope prime focus instrument package

The Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) is undergoing an upgrade to increase the field of view to 22 arc-minutes with the dark energy survey HETDEX the initial science goal [1]. Here we report on the design, alignment, and deployment of a suite of instruments located at prime focus of the upgraded HET. This paper reviews the integration of motion control electronics and software and alignment of those electromechanical systems. Use of laser trackers, alignment telescopes, and other optical alignment techniques are covered. Deployment onto the upgraded telescope is discussed.

Mechanical systems performance of the HET wide-field upgrade

We have completed a major Wide Field Upgrade (WFU) of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) and reentered scheduled queue science operations in mid-2016. This paper assesses the performance of the various mechanical systems which were upgraded, or added to HET, including the Telescope Structure, the star Tracker (aka, WFU Tracker), Prime Focus Instrument Package (PFIP), and VIRUS Support Structure (VSS). The upgrades were required to increase the field of view of HET, from 4 arc-minutes, to 22 arc-minutes, increasing the observed area of sky by 30 times the original FoV. In the process, the total weight of the system increased from 100 tons, to 153 tons, requiring a complete overhaul of most of the mechanical, servo, and control systems. The new 13-axis Tracker and control system was tested extensively prior to shipping and installation, and followed up with laser tracker measurements, which brought the tracking system to within 1 arc-minute RMS pointing, and followed up with on-sky derived mount-models, which has improved the pointing and guiding to within 12 arc-seconds RMS, and 0.1 arc-seconds, respectively. A completely new structural support system was implemented to house and connect a total of 156 VIRUS spectrographs, plus 4 new Low-Resolution Spectrographs (LRS2). The VIRUS units are arrayed in two large enclosures mounted to either side of the telescope. Each enclosure is approximately 1.3m deep x 6.7m wide x 6.2m tall and weighs 38 tons fully loaded. This structure is attached to HET in a way that allows it to be positioned by, but stand independent of, the HET during observation. As commissioning has transitioned to phased-science/engineering operations, and subsequently, to science operation, the tracking software and mechanical performance of the Tracker and VSS have been improved to meet specification. Performance data and lessons learned are provided.

Completion and performance of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope wide field upgrade

The Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) is an innovative large telescope with 10 meter aperture, located in West Texas at the McDonald Observatory. The HET operates with a fixed segmented primary and has a tracker, which moves the fourmirror corrector and prime focus instrument package to track the sidereal and non-sidereal motions of objects. We have completed a major multi-year upgrade of the HET that has substantially increased the field of view to 22 arcminutes by replacing the optical corrector, tracker, and prime focus instrument package and by developing a new telescope control system. The upgrade has replaced all hardware and systems except for the structure, enclosure, and primary mirror. The new, reinvented wide-field HET feeds the revolutionary Visible Integral-field Replicable Unit Spectrograph (VIRUS‡), fed by 35,000 fibers, in support of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX§), a new low resolution spectrograph (LRS2), the Habitable Zone Planet Finder (HPF), and the upgraded high resolution spectrograph (HRS2). The HET Wide Field Upgrade has now been commissioned and has been in science operations since mid 2016 and in full science operations from mid 2018. This paper reviews and summarizes the upgrade, lessons learned, and the operational performance of the new HET.

VIRUS early installation and commissioning

VIRUS is a massively replicated spectrograph built for HETDEX, the Hobby Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment. It consists of 156 channels within 78 units fed by 34944 fibers over the 22 arcminute field of the upgraded HET. VIRUS covers a relatively narrow bandpass (350-550nm) at low resolution (R ~ 700) to target the emission of Lyman-alpha emitters (LAEs) for HETDEX. VIRUS is a first demonstration of industrial style assembly line replication in optical astronomy. Installation and testing of VIRUS units began in November of 2015. This winter we celebrated the first on sky instrument activity of the upgraded HET, using a VIRUS unit and LRS2-R (the upgraded facility Low Resolution Spectrograph for the HET). Here we describe progress in VIRUS installation and commissioning through June 2016. We include early sky data obtained to characterize spectrograph performance and on sky performance of the newly upgraded HET. As part of the instrumentation for first science light at the HET, the IFU fed spectrographs were used to test a full range of telescope system functionality including the field calibration unit (FCU).We also use placement of strategic IFUs to map the new HET field to the fiber placement, and demonstrate actuation of the dithering mechanism key to HETDEX observations.

Simulation strategies employed in the development and maintenance of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope control system

The recently reinvented Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) has undergone a multi-year upgrade replacing the wide- field corrector, tracker, and metrology systems. The timelines for the production and delivery of the various upgrade components, combined with the desired turn around on deployment and integration, required that a majority of the core control system software functionality be implemented, and notionally tested, without access to the related hardware. We present the approaches to simulating the HET hardware systems, their evolution, the successes and shortcomings of the current level of capabilities, and ideas for improvements to simulation and integration testing.

New Hobby Eberly telescope metrology systems: design, implementation, and on-sky performance

The Hobby-Eberly Telescope is an innovative 10-meter telescope, located at the McDonald Observatory. We have completed a major multi-year upgrade of the HET that has substantially increased the field of view to 22 arcminutes by replacing the optical corrector, tracker, and prime focus instrument package and by developing a new telescope control and metrology systems. The metrology systems include four independent optical sensors to provide fully redundant alignment and pointing information to keep the telescope aligned to within a few microns and a few arc seconds. We detail the design, implementation, on-sky performance, and lessons learned.