NIHTS: the near-infrared high throughput spectrograph for the Discovery Channel Telescope

Edward W. Dunham; Thomas A Bida; Tomas Chylek; Frank Cornelius; Annika Gustafsson; Nicholas Moskovitz; Henry Roe

doi:10.1117/12.2313948

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6 July 2018 NIHTS: the near-infrared high throughput spectrograph for the Discovery Channel Telescope

Edward W. Dunham, Thomas A Bida, Tomas Chylek, Frank Cornelius, Annika Gustafsson, Nicholas Moskovitz, Henry Roe

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Proceedings Volume 10702, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VII; 107023E (2018) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2313948
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2018, Austin, Texas, United States

Abstract

NIHTS is a first-generation instrument now in use on Lowell Observatory’s Discovery Channel Telescope. It is a nearinfrared prism spectrograph of the BASS design featuring high throughput and low dispersion that is intended for observations of faint solar system and astrophysical objects over the YJHK spectral range. An unusual feature is its ability to observe simultaneously with the Large Monolithic Imager, an optical CCD camera, by means of a dichroic fold mirror. This is particularly valuable for time-variable targets such as Kuiper Belt Objects, asteroids, exoplanet transits, and brown dwarfs. We describe its design details and performance both in the lab and on the telescope.

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Edward W. Dunham, Thomas A Bida, Tomas Chylek, Frank Cornelius, Annika Gustafsson, Nicholas Moskovitz, and Henry Roe "NIHTS: the near-infrared high throughput spectrograph for the Discovery Channel Telescope", Proc. SPIE 10702, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VII, 107023E (6 July 2018); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2313948

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