The cryogenic system for the VIRUS array of spectrographs on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope

Michael P. Smith; George T. Mulholland; John A. Booth; John M. Good; Gary J. Hill; Phillip J MacQueen; Marc D. Rafal; Richard D. Savage; Brian L. Vattiat

doi:10.1117/12.790236

23 July 2008 The cryogenic system for the VIRUS array of spectrographs on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope

Michael P. Smith, George T. Mulholland, John A. Booth, John M. Good, Gary J. Hill, Phillip J MacQueen, Marc D. Rafal, Richard D. Savage, Brian L. Vattiat

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 7018, Advanced Optical and Mechanical Technologies in Telescopes and Instrumentation; 70184M (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.790236
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2008, Marseille, France

Abstract

The Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) is an existing innovative large telescope of 9.2 meter aperture, located at the McDonald Observatory in West Texas. The Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX) requires a major upgrade to the HET, including a substantial increase in the telescope field of view, as well as the development and integration of a revolutionary new integral field spectrograph called VIRUS. The Visible Integral-Field Replicable Unit Spectrograph (VIRUS) is an instrument comprising approximately 150 individual IFU-fed spectrographs which will be mounted on the telescope structure. Each spectrograph has a CDD camera detector package which must be cryogenically cooled during scientific operation. In order to cool each of these camera systems a liquid nitrogen system has been proposed and design study completed. The proposed system includes: a liquid nitrogen source, vacuum jacket distribution system, local storage on the telescope, and distribution under a thermal siphon to the individual spectrographs and local thermal connectors.

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Michael P. Smith, George T. Mulholland, John A. Booth, John M. Good, Gary J. Hill, Phillip J MacQueen, Marc D. Rafal, Richard D. Savage, and Brian L. Vattiat "The cryogenic system for the VIRUS array of spectrographs on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope", Proc. SPIE 7018, Advanced Optical and Mechanical Technologies in Telescopes and Instrumentation, 70184M (23 July 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.790236

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