Sphinx: a massively multiplexed fiber positioner for MSE

Scott Smedley; Gabriella Baker; Rebecca Brown; James Gilbert; Peter Gillingham; Will Saunders; Andrew Sheinis; Sudharshan Venkatesan; Lew Waller

doi:10.1117/12.2310021

6 July 2018 Sphinx: a massively multiplexed fiber positioner for MSE

Scott Smedley, Gabriella Baker, Rebecca Brown, James Gilbert, Peter Gillingham, Will Saunders, Andrew Sheinis, Sudharshan Venkatesan, Lew Waller

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 10702, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VII; 107021M (2018) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2310021
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2018, Austin, Texas, United States

Abstract

In this paper we present the Australian Astronomical Observatory’s concept design for Sphinx - a fiber positioner with 4,332 “spines” on a 7.77mm pitch for CFHT’s Mauna Kea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE) Telescope. Based on the Echidna technology used with FMOS (on Subaru) and 4MOST (on VISTA), the next evolution of the tilting spine design delivers improved performance and superior allocation efficiency. Several prototypes have been constructed that demonstrate the suitability of the new design for MSE. Results of prototype testing are presented, along with an analysis of the impact of tilting spines on the overall survey efficiency. The Sphinx fiber positioner utilizes a novel metrology system for spine position feedback. The metrology design and the careful considerations required to achieve reliable, high accuracy measurements of all fibers in a realistic telescope environment are also presented.

Citation Download Citation

Scott Smedley, Gabriella Baker, Rebecca Brown, James Gilbert, Peter Gillingham, Will Saunders, Andrew Sheinis, Sudharshan Venkatesan, and Lew Waller "Sphinx: a massively multiplexed fiber positioner for MSE", Proc. SPIE 10702, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VII, 107021M (6 July 2018); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2310021

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