Kenneth McCracken

The GMT-CfA, Carnegie, Catolica, Chicago Large Earth Finder (G-CLEF): a general purpose optical echelle spectrograph for the GMT with precision radial velocity capability

The GMT-CfA, Carnegie, Catolica, Chicago Large Earth Finder (G-CLEF) is a fiber fed, optical echelle spectrograph that has undergone conceptual design for consideration as a first light instrument at the Giant Magellan Telescope. GCLEF has been designed to be a general-purpose echelle spectrograph with precision radial velocity (PRV) capability. We have defined the performance envelope of G-CLEF to address several of the highest science priorities in the Decadal Survey1. The spectrograph optical design is an asymmetric, two-arm, white pupil design. The asymmetric white pupil design is adopted to minimize the size of the refractive camera lenses. The spectrograph beam is nominally 300 mm, reduced to 200 mm after dispersion by the R4 echelle grating. The peak efficiency of the spectrograph is >35% and the passband is 3500-9500Å. The spectrograph is primarily fed with three sets of fibers to enable three observing modes: High-Throughput, Precision-Abundance and PRV. The respective resolving powers of these modes are R~ 25,000, 40,000 and 120,000. We also anticipate having an R~40,000 Multi-object Spectroscopy mode with a multiplex of ~40 fibers. In PRV mode, each of the seven 8.4m GMT primary mirror sub-apertures feeds an individual fiber, which is scrambled after pupil-slicing. The goal radial velocity precision of G-CLEF is ∂V <10 cm/sec radial. In this paper, we provide a flowdown from fiducial science programs to design parameters. We discuss the optomechanical, electrical, structural and thermal design and present a roadmap to first light at the GMT.

A novel systems engineering approach to the design of a precision radial velocity spectrograph: the GMT-Consortium Large EarthFinder (G-CLEF)

One of the first light instruments for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) will be the GMT-Consortium Large Earth Finder (G-CLEF). It is an optical band echelle spectrograph that is fiber fed to enable high stability. One of the key capabilities of G-CLEF will be its extremely precise radial velocity (PRV) measurement capability. The RV precision goal is 10 cm/sec, which is expected to be achieved with advanced calibration methods and the use of the GMT adaptive optics system. G-CLEF, as part of the GMT suite of instruments, is being designed within GMTs automated requirements management system. This includes requirements flow down, traceability, error budgeting, and systems compliance. Error budgeting is being employed extensively to help manage G-CLEF technical requirements and ensure that the top level requirements are met efficiently. In this paper we discuss the G-CLEF error budgeting process, concentrating on the PRV precision and instrument throughput budgets. The PRV error budgeting process is covered in detail, as we are taking a detailed systems error budgeting approach to the PRV requirement. This has proven particularly challenging, as the precise measurement of radial velocity is a complex process, with error sources that are difficult to model and a complex calibration process that is integral to the RV measurement. The PRV budget combines traditional modeling and analysis techniques, where applicable, with semi-empirical techniques, as necessary. Extrapolation from existing PRV instruments is also used in the budgeting process.

A preliminary design for the GMT-Consortium Large Earth Finder (G-CLEF)

The GMT-Consortium Large Earth Finder (G-CLEF) is an optical-band echelle spectrograph that has been selected as the first light instrument for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT). G-CLEF is a general-purpose, high dispersion spectrograph that is fiber fed and capable of extremely precise radial velocity measurements. The G-CLEF Concept Design (CoD) was selected in Spring 2013. Since then, G-CLEF has undergone science requirements and instrument requirements reviews and will be the subject of a preliminary design review (PDR) in March 2015. Since CoD review (CoDR), the overall G-CLEF design has evolved significantly as we have optimized the constituent designs of the major subsystems, i.e. the fiber system, the telescope interface, the calibration system and the spectrograph itself. These modifications have been made to enhance G-CLEF’s capability to address frontier science problems, as well as to respond to the evolution of the GMT itself and developments in the technical landscape. G-CLEF has been designed by applying rigorous systems engineering methodology to flow Level 1 Scientific Objectives to Level 2 Observational Requirements and thence to Level 3 and Level 4. The rigorous systems approach applied to G-CLEF establishes a well defined science requirements framework for the engineering design. By adopting this formalism, we may flexibly update and analyze the capability of G-CLEF to respond to new scientific discoveries as we move toward first light. G-CLEF will exploit numerous technological advances and features of the GMT itself to deliver an efficient, high performance instrument, e.g. exploiting the adaptive optics secondary system to increase both throughput and radial velocity measurement precision.

The GMT-Consortium Large Earth Finder (G-CLEF): an optical Echelle spectrograph for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT)

The GMT-Consortium Large Earth Finder (G-CLEF) will be a cross-dispersed, optical band echelle spectrograph to be delivered as the first light scientific instrument for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) in 2022. G-CLEF is vacuum enclosed and fiber-fed to enable precision radial velocity (PRV) measurements, especially for the detection and characterization of low-mass exoplanets orbiting solar-type stars. The passband of G-CLEF is broad, extending from 3500Å to 9500Å. This passband provides good sensitivity at blue wavelengths for stellar abundance studies and deep red response for observations of high-redshift phenomena. The design of G-CLEF incorporates several novel technical innovations. We give an overview of the innovative features of the current design. G-CLEF will be the first PRV spectrograph to have a composite optical bench so as to exploit that material’s extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion, high in-plane thermal conductivity and high stiffness-to-mass ratio. The spectrograph camera subsystem is divided into a red and a blue channel, split by a dichroic, so there are two independent refractive spectrograph cameras. The control system software is being developed in model-driven software context that has been adopted globally by the GMT. G-CLEF has been conceived and designed within a strict systems engineering framework. As a part of this process, we have developed a analytical toolset to assess the predicted performance of G-CLEF as it has evolved through design phases.

The F/5 instrumentation suite for the Clay Telescope

The f/5 instrumentation suite for the Clay telescope was developed to provide the Magellan Consortium observer community with wide field optical imaging and multislit NIR spectroscopy capability. The instrument suite consists of several major subsystems including two focal plane instruments. These instruments are Megacam and MMIRS. Megacam is a panoramic, square format CCD mosaic imager, 0.4° on a side. It is instrumented with a full set of Sloan filters. MMIRS is a multislit NIR spectrograph that operates in Y through K band and has long slit and imaging capability as well. These two instruments can operate both at Magellan and the MMT. Megacam requires a wide field refractive corrector and a Topbox to support shutter and filter selection functions, as well as to perform wavefront sensing for primary mirror figure correction. Both the corrector and Topbox designs were modeled on previous designs for MMT, however features of the Magellan telescope required considerable revision of these designs. In this paper we discuss the optomechanical, electrical, software and structural design of these subsystems, as well as operational considerations that attended delivery of the instrument suite to first light.

Prototyping the GMT phasing camera with the Magellan AO system

The future diffraction-limited performance of the 25.4 meter Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) will rely on the activeand adaptive wavefront sensing measurements made by the Acquisition, Guiding, and Wavefront Sensor (AGWS)currently being designed by SAO. One subsystem of the AGWS, the phasing camera, will be responsible for measuringthe piston phase difference between the seven GMT primary/secondary segment pairs to 50 nm accuracy with full skycoverage using natural guide stars that are 6-10 arcmin off-axis while the on-axis light is used for science operations.The phasing camera will use a dispersed fringe sensor to measure the phase difference in rectangular subaperturesspanning the gaps between adjacent mirror segments. The large gap between segments (>295 mm, compared to 3 mmfor the Keck telescope) reduces the coherence of light across the subapertures, making this problem particularlychallenging. In support of the AGWS phasing camera technical goals, SAO has undertaken a series of prototypingefforts at the Magellan 6.5 meter Clay telescope to demonstrate the dispersed fringe sensor technology and validateatmospheric models. Our latest on-sky test, completed in December 2015, employs a dual-band (I and J) dispersedfringe sensor. This prototype uses an adaptive optics corrected beam from the Magellan AO adaptive secondary system.The system operates both on-axis and 6 arcmin off-axis from the natural guide star feeding the MagAO wavefrontsensor. This on-sky data will inform the development of the AGWS phasing camera design towards the GMT first light.

The G-CLEF spectrograph optical design

The GMT-Consortium Large Earth Finder (G-CLEF) is a fiber fed, optical echelle spectrograph, which has been selected as a first light instrument for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) currently under construction at the Las Campanas Observatory. We designed G-CLEF as a general-purpose echelle spectrograph with a precision radial velocity (PRV) capability goal of 0.1 m/s, which will enable it to detect/measure the mass of an Earth-sized planet orbiting a Solar-type star in its habitable zone. This goal imposes challenging requirements on all aspects of the instrument and some of those are best incorporated directly into the optical design process. In this paper we describe the preliminary optical design of the G-CLEF instrument and briefly describe some novel solutions we have introduced into the asymmetric white pupil echelle configuration.

The opto-mechanical design of the GMT-consortium large earth finder (G-CLEF)

The GMT-Consortium Large Earth Finder (G-CLEF) is a fiber fed, optical echelle spectrograph that has been selected as a first light instrument for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) currently under construction at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile’s Atacama desert region. We designed G-CLEF as a general-purpose echelle spectrograph with precision radial velocity (PRV) capability used for exoplanet detection. The radial velocity (RV) precision goal of GCLEF is 10 cm/sec, necessary for detection of Earth-sized planets orbiting stars like our Sun in the habitable zone. This goal imposes challenging stability requirements on the optical mounts and the overall spectrograph support structures. Stability in instruments of this type is typically affected by changes in temperature, orientation, and air pressure as well as vibrations caused by telescope tracking. For these reasons, we have chosen to enclose G-CLEF’s spectrograph in a thermally insulated, vibration isolated vacuum chamber and place it at a gravity invariant location on GMT’s azimuth platform. Additional design constraints posed by the GMT telescope include: a limited space envelope, a thermal emission ceiling, and a maximum weight allowance. Other factors, such as manufacturability, serviceability, available technology and budget are also significant design drivers. All of the previously listed considerations must be managed while ensuring that performance requirements are achieved. In this paper, we discuss the design of G-CLEF’s optical mounts and support structures including technical choices made to minimize the system’s sensitivity to thermal gradients. A more general treatment of the properties of G-CLEF can be found elsewhere in these proceedings1. We discuss the design of the vacuum chamber which houses the irregularly shaped optical bench and optics while conforming to a challenging space envelope on GMT’s azimuth platform. We also discuss the design of G-CLEF’s insulated enclosure and thermal control systems which maintain the spectrograph at milli-Kelvin level stability while simultaneously limiting the maximum thermal emission into the telescope dome environment. Finally, we discuss G-CLEF’s front-end assembly and fiber-feed system as well as other interface challenges presented by the telescope, enclosure and neighboring instrumentation.

Mechanisms in the GMT acquisition guiding and wavefront sensing system

The Giant Magellan Telescope’s Acquisition, Guiding, and Wavefront Sensing System (AGWS) is comprised of four identical probes, each containing 11 axes of precision control. The largest of the mechanisms carries a mass of nearly 500kg. The mechanisms are diverse in type, including a voice coil actuated tip-tilt mirror, a rotary harmonic drive, high accuracy and precision lenslet rotation stages and ballscrew driven linear stages. To meet image quality, positioning, and tracking requirements, these mechanisms and their EtherCATcontrolled servos are designed for stiffness. Employing inductive tape encoders, they must position and track to 10um precision with minimal backlash, over velocities ranging from ~10mm/sec to essentially zero, where stiction becomes significant. We will present the designs of the mechanisms, highlighting key features, design trades, and preliminary prototyping results.

The acquisition, guiding, and wavefront sensing system for the Giant Magellan Telescope

The Acquisition Guiding and Wavefront Sensing System (AGWS) is responsible for making the measurements required to keep the optics of the seven-segment GMT coaligned, phased, pointing in the correct direction, and conforming to the correct mirror shape. The AGWS consists of four identical probes that patrol the outer parts of the GMT field of view. Each probe is comprised of two channels. The visible channel contains optics that can provide high-speed full aperture guiding, segment guiding, or Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing feeding an EMCCD camera. In natural seeing operations, these probes feed the GMT active optics system. In ground layer AO mode, they are the primary wavefront sensors. The second channel, used for phasing the seven segments in diffraction limited operation, contains J-band dispersed fringe sensor optics feeding a SAPHIRA IR e-APD array. We present the system architecture, and an overview of requirements, optical, mechanical and electrical designs.