Research

Instrumentation & Device Development

HETDEX: Dark Energy Experiment

EXES: mid-IR spectrograph

Micromachined Silicon Diffractive Optics

IGRINS

GMTNIRS

IGRINS: Immersion Grating Infrared Spectrograph

Figure 1: Optical diagram for the spectrograph section of IGRINS
click to enlarge


IGRINS is a high resolution near infrared spectrograph with large instantaneous wavelength coverage. Currently in its design phase, IGRINS will achieve R=40,000 across the entire H and K near infrared atmospheric windows in a single exposure. IGRINS employs two new technologies to achieve its incredible spectral grasp, namely an immersion grating for its main dispersing element, and cryogenic VPH gratings for cross dispersion. This instrument will facilitate detailed study of a variety of astronomical sources, specifically protostars, young stellar objects, extincted Galactic sources, photodissociation regions, and solar system objects, among others. Commissioning is planned on the 2.7 m Harlan J. Smith Telescope at the McDonald Observatory in 2013. IGRINS is a joint project with The University of Texas at Austin, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), and Kyung Hee University (KHU).
For more information on the instrument, please read our recent publication from the June 2010 SPIE conference. Check back soon for more updates!



Figure 2: H band echellogram. The dashed lines show the ends of each order.
click to enlarge

Preliminary design of IGRINS (Immersion GRating INfrared Spectrograph)

Yuk, In-Soo; Jaffe, Daniel T.; Barnes, Stuart; Chun, Moo-Young; Park, Chan; Lee, Sungho; Lee, Hanshin; Wang, Weisong; Park, Kwi-Jong; Pak, Soojong; Strubhar, Joseph; Deen, Casey; Oh, Heeyoung; Seo, Haingja; Pyo, Tae-Soo; Park, Won-Kee; Lacy, John; Goertz, John; Rand, Jared; Gully-Santiago, Michael ; Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III. Edited by McLean, Ian S.; Ramsay, Suzanne K.; Takami, Hideki. Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 7735, pp. 77351M-10 (2010). [ web (PDF coming soon) ]


Figure 3: IGRINS on the 2.7m Harlan J Smith Telescope at the McDonald Observatory
click to enlarge


For further information feel free to contact some of the instrument members at the UT Austin Department of Astronomy:

Dan Jaffe (PI), Insoo Yuk, Soojong Pak, Cindy Brooks, Michael Gully-Santiago