One of the challenges of astronomical instrumentation is overcoming the intermediate stages between instrument design and acceptance testing. Manufacturing, integration tasks, and especially testing to validate these instruments require specialized infrastructure. At the Instituto de Astronomía de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (IA-UNAM), we have recognized the importance of investing in this infrastructure to ensure quality, cost efficiency, and timely completion. In this paper, we present the capabilities of IA-UNAM in the design, manufacturing, and metrology of optical and mechanical components that meet astronomical and aerospace quality requirements and standards. We also discuss the adaptation of spaces necessary to perform these tasks, as well as the development of methodologies and instrumentation that we have implemented for the integration and validation stages of these instruments.
FRIDA (inFRared Imager and Dissector for Adaptive optics of GTC) is a near-infrared imager and integral field spectrograph covering the wavelength range from 0.9 to 2.5 microns. FRIDA will work in two observing modes: direct imaging and integral field spectroscopy. This paper describes the main achievements and current status in the development of the electronics and control systems for FRIDA´s cryogenic mechanisms, cabling, and keeping (HK). A description of the main hardware and software tests is presented.
FRIDA is a diffraction-limited imager and integral-field spectrograph for the adaptive-optics focus of the Gran Telescopio Canarias. In imaging mode FRIDA provides scales of 10, 20 and 40 mas/pixel and in IFS mode spectral resolutions of about 1200, 4000 and 30,000. Coronographic masks are available in both modes for highcontrast images. FRIDA is undergoing systems integration and is scheduled to complete system testing at the laboratory in December 2024 and to be delivered to the telescope shortly thereafter. In this contribution we present a summary of its design, fabrication, current status and potential scientific applications.
FRIDA is a diffraction-limited imager and integral-field spectrograph for the adaptive-optics focus of the Gran Telescopio Canarias. In imaging mode FRIDA provides scales of 10, 20 and 40 mas/pixel and in IFS mode spectral resolutions of about 1200, 4000 and 30,000. Coronographic masks are available in both modes for high-contrast images. FRIDA is starting systems integration and is scheduled to complete system testing at the laboratory by the end of 2023 and to be delivered to the telescope shortly thereafter. In this contribution we present a summary of its design, fabrication, current status and potential scientific applications.
FRIDA is an infrared (0.9 microns- 2.5 microns ) imager and integral field spectrograph that will work in concert with the Gran Telescopio Canarias Adaptive Optics system (GTCAO). We describe the assembly, integration and validation of the FRIDA optics: the manufacture of the optical components at our UNAM workshops; the opto-mechanical assembly including the alignment and interferometric validation tests; the assembly and testing of all of the optics and mechanisms on a the cold bench at room temperature. Finally, the cryogenic subsystems validation, prior to the final assembly and integration of the instrument inside the FRIDA cryostat.
We present the design concept and validation of a cryogenic lens mount for a noncemented doublet for the near-infrared diffraction limited instrument FRIDA. The design uses an autocentering mount that maintains the relative alignment of the lenses, acting against any displacement that may be induced by external forces by automatically returning the lenses to their nominal positions. Autocentering techniques have been used for instruments at room temperature with relatively relaxed image quality requirements. We present in detail its application to a mount for a cryogenic instrument working at the diffraction limit. The design has been tested on the collimator of FRIDA, a noncemented doublet of CaF2 and S-FTM16. We describe the alignment requirements of the system, and we show the calculations that ensure that the lenses will suffer both appropriate stresses and temperature differences. We present the experimental validation of a prototype, demonstrating that the design delivers an excellent performance without inducing unnecessary stresses on the optical components, provided that the lenses are previously aligned with very high precision.
FRIDA is a diffraction-limited imager and integral-field spectrometer that is being built for the adaptive-optics focus of the Gran Telescopio Canarias. In imaging mode FRIDA will provide scales of 0.010, 0.020 and 0.040 arcsec/pixel and in IFS mode spectral resolutions of 1500, 4000 and 30,000. FRIDA is starting systems integration and is scheduled to complete fully integrated system tests at the laboratory by the end of 2017 and to be delivered to GTC shortly thereafter. In this contribution we present a summary of its design, fabrication, current status and potential scientific applications.
KEYWORDS: Control systems, Control systems, Cryogenics, Computer programming, Prototyping, Interfaces, Calibration, Current controlled current source, Electronics, Human-machine interfaces
FRIDA will be a near infrared imager and integral field spectrograph covering the wavelength range from 0.9 to 2.5 microns. FRIDA will work in two observing modes: direct imaging and integral field spectroscopy. This paper presents the main structure of the FRIDA mechanisms control system. In order to comply with a high level of re-configurability FRIDA will comprise eight cryogenic mechanisms and one room temperature mechanism. Most of these mechanisms require high positioning repeatability to ensure FRIDA fulfills with high astronomical specifications. In order to set up the mechanisms positioning control parameters a set of programs have been developed to perform several tests of mechanisms in both room and cryogenic environments. The embedded control software for most of the FRIDA mechanisms has been developed. A description of some mechanisms tests and the software used for this purpose are presented.
KEYWORDS: Cameras, Collimators, Mirrors, Current controlled current source, Diffraction, Near infrared, Iterated function systems, Cryogenics, Spectrographs, Prototyping
FRIDA (inFRared Imager and Dissector for the Adaptive optics system of the Gran Telescopio Canarias
(GTC)) is designed as a diffraction limited instrument that will offer broad and narrow band imaging and
integral field spectroscopy capabilities with low, intermediate and high (R ~ 30,000) spectral resolutions, to
operate in the wavelength range 0.9 – 2.5 μm. The integral field unit is based on a monolithic image slicer and
the imaging and IFS observing modes will use the same Teledyne 2Kx2K detector. FRIDA will be based on a
Nasmyth B of GTC, behind the adaptive optics (AO) system. The key scientific objectives of the instrument
include studies of solar system bodies, low mass objects, circumstellar outflow phenomena in advanced stages
of stellar evolution, active galactic nuclei high redshift galaxies, including resolved stellar populations, semidetached
binary systems, young stellar objects and star forming environments. FRIDA subsystems are
presently being manufactured and tested. In this paper we present the challenges to perform the verification of
some critical specifications of a cryogenic and diffraction limited NIR instrument as FRIDA. FRIDA is a
collaborative project between the main GTC partners, namely, Spain, México and Florida.
KEYWORDS: Control systems, Cryogenics, Electronics, Photonic integrated circuits, Prototyping, Control systems design, Sensors, Electronic components, 3D modeling, Connectors
FRIDA will be a near infrared imager and integral field spectrograph covering the wavelength range from 0.9 to 2.5 microns. Primary observing modes are: direct imaging and integral field spectroscopy. This paper describes the main advances in the development of the electronics and control system for both the mechanisms and house-keeping of FRIDA. In order to perform several tests of mechanisms in both room and cryogenic environments, a set of programs had been developed. All variables of the vacuum control system were determined and the main control structure based on one Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) had been established. A key function of the FRIDA’s control system is keeping the integrity of cryostat during all processes, so we have designed a redundant heating control system which will be in charge of avoiding cryostat inner overheating. In addition, some improvements of cryogenic and room temperature cabling structure are described.
FRIDA is a diffraction limited imager and integral field spectrometer that is being built for the Gran Telescopio
Canarias. FRIDA has been designed and is being built as a collaborative project between institutions from México, Spain
and the USA. In imaging mode FRIDA will provide scales of 0.010, 0.020 and 0.040 arcsec/pixel and in IFS mode
spectral resolutions R ~ 1000, 4,500 and 30,000. FRIDA is starting systems integration and is scheduled to complete
fully integrated system tests at the laboratory by the end of 2015 and be delivered to GTC shortly after. In this
contribution we present a summary of its design, fabrication, current status and potential scientific applications.
KEYWORDS: Control systems, Electronics, Control systems design, Sensors, Prototyping, Temperature sensors, Photonic integrated circuits, Human-machine interfaces, Optical benches, Infrared radiation
FRIDA will be a common-user near infrared imager and integral field spectrograph covering the wavelength range from
0.9 to 2.5 microns. Primary observing modes driven the instrument design are two: direct imaging and integral field
spectroscopy. FRIDA will be installed at the Nasmyth-B platform of the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) behind the
GTC Adaptive Optics (GTCAO) system. Instrument will use diffraction-limited optics to avoid degrading the high Strehl
ratios derived by the GTCAO system in the near infrared.
High-performance astronomical instruments with a high reconfiguration degree as FRIDA, not only depends on optical
and mechanical efficient designs but also on the good quality of its electronics and control systems design. In fact,
astronomical instruments operating performance on telescope greatly relies on electronics and control system. This paper
describes the main design topics for the FRIDA electronics and mechanisms control system, pointing on the
development that these areas have reached on the project status. FRIDA Critical Design Review (CDR) was held on
September 2011.
OSIRIS (Optical System for Imaging and low Resolution Integrated Spectroscopy) was the optical Day One instrument
for the 10.4m Spanish telescope GTC. It is installed at the Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos (La Palma, Spain).
This instrument has been operational since March-2009 and covers from 360 to 1000 nm. OSIRIS observing modes
include direct imaging with tunable and conventional filters, long slit and low resolution spectroscopy. OSIRIS wide
field of view and high efficiency provide a powerful tool for the scientific exploitation of GTC. OSIRIS was developed
by a Consortium formed by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the Instituto de Astronomía de la
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (IA-UNAM). The latter was in charge of the optical design, the manufacture
of the camera and collaboration in the assembly, integration and verification process. The IAC was responsible for the
remaining design of the instrument and it was the project leader. The present paper considers the development of the
instrument from its design to its present situation in which is in used by the scientific community.
FRIDA (inFRared Imager and Dissector for the Adaptive optics system of the Gran Telescopio Canarias) is designed as
a diffraction limited instrument that will offer broad and narrow band imaging and integral field spectroscopy capabilities
with low (R ~ 1,500), intermediate (R ~ 4,500) and high (R ~ 30,000) spectral resolutions to operate in the wavelength
range 0.9 - 2.5 μm. The integral field unit is based on a monolithic image slicer. The imaging and IFS observing modes
will use the same Teledyne 2K x 2K detector. FRIDA will be based at the Nasmyth B platform of GTC, behind the AO
system. The key scientific objectives of the instrument include studies of solar system bodies, low mass objects,
circumstellar outflow phenomena in advanced stages of stellar evolution, active galactic nuclei, high redshift galaxies,
resolved stellar populations, semi-detached binary systems, young stellar objects and star forming environments. FRIDA
is a collaborative project between the main GTC partners, namely, Spain, México and Florida. In this paper, we present
the status of the instrument design as it is currently being prepared for its manufacture, after an intensive prototypes'
phase and design optimization. The CDR was held in September 2011.
FRIDA (inFRared Imager and Dissector for the Adaptive optics system of the Gran Telescopio Canarias) has been
designed as a cryogenic and diffraction limited instrument that will offer broad and narrow band imaging and integral
field spectroscopy (IFS). Both, the imaging mode and IFS observing modes will use the same Teledyne 2Kx2K detector.
This instrument will be installed at Nasmyth B station, behind the GTC Adaptive Optics system. FRIDA will provide the
IFS mode using a 30 slices Integral Field Unit (IFU). This IFU design is based on University of Florida FISICA where
the mirror block arrays are diamond turned on monolithic metal blocks.
FRIDA IFU is conformed mainly by 3 mirror blocks with 30 spherical mirrors each. It also has a Schwarzschild relay
based on two off axis spherical mirrors and an afocal system of two parabolic off axis mirrors. Including two insertion
mirrors the IFU holds 96 metal mirrors.
Each block or individual mirror is attached on its own mechanical mounting. In order to study beam interferences with
mechanical parts, ghosts and scattered light, an iterative optical-mechanical modeling was developed. In this work this
iterative modeling is described including pictures showing actual ray tracing on the opto-mechanical components.
We describe diamond-turned material tests for the integral field unit (IFU) for the FRIDA instrument (inFRared Imager
and Dissector for the Adaptive optics system of the Gran Telescopio Canarias). FRIDA is closely based on the design of
the successful FISICA cryogenic infrared image slicing device, which used "monolithic" mirror arrays, diamond turned
into single pieces of metal. FRIDA, however, will require better roughness characteristics than the 15nm RMS of
FISICA to avoid light scatter in FRIDA's shorter wavelength limit (900nm). Al 6061 seems to be limited to this
roughness level by its silicate inclusions so some new combination of materials that are compatible with FRIDA's Al
6061 structure must be found. To this end, we have tested six diamond-turned mirrors with different materials and
different platings. We used the Zygo interferometer facility at IA-UNAM to do warm and cold profile measurements of
the mirrors to investigate possible bimetallic deformation effects. We present a detailed comparison of the various
performance characteristics of the test mirrors.
FRIDA (inFRared Imager and Dissector for the Adaptive optics system of the Gran Telescopio Canarias) has been
designed as a diffraction limited instrument that will offer broad and narrow band imaging and integral field
spectroscopy (IFS) capabilities with low, intermediate and high spectral resolutions to operate in the wavelength range
0.9 - 2.5 μm. The integral field unit is based on a monolithic image slicer based on the University of Florida FISICA.
Both, the imaging mode and IFS observing modes will use the same Rockwell 2K×2K detector. FRIDA will be based at
a Nasmyth focus of GTC, behind the GTCAO system. The FRIDA optical design, stray light analysis, tolerance analysis
and manufacturing feasibility are described in this contribution.
FRIDA (inFRared Imager and Dissector for the Adaptive optics system of the Gran Telescopio Canarias) has been designed as a diffraction limited instrument that will offer broad and narrow band imaging and integral field spectroscopy (IFS) capabilities with low, intermediate and high spectral resolutions to operate in the wavelength range 0.9 - 2.5 μm. The integral field unit is based on a monolithic image slicer and the imaging and IFS observing modes will use the same Rockwell 2Kx2K detector. FRIDA will be based at a Nasmyth focus of GTC, behind the AO system. The
main design characteristics of FRIDA are described in this contribution. FRIDA is a collaborative project between the main GTC partners, namely, Spain, Mexico and Florida, lead by UNAM.
In March 2004, the Commissioning Instrument (CI) for the GTC was accepted in the site of The Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) located in La Palma Island, Spain. During the GTC integration phase, the CI will be a diagnostic tool for performance verification. The CI features four operation modes-imaging, pupil imaging, Curvature Wave-front sensing (WFS), and high resolution Shack-Hartmann WFS. The imaging mode permits to qualify the GTC image quality. The Pupil Mode permits estimate the GTC stray light. The segments figure, alignment and cophasing verifications are made with both WFS modes. In this work we describe the Commissioning Instrument and show some tests results obtained during the site acceptance process at the GTC site.
In March 2004 was accepted in the site of Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) in La Palma Island, Spain, the Commissioning Instrument (CI) for the GTC. During the GTC integration phase, the CI will be a diagnostic tool for performance verification. The CI features four operation modes-imaging, pupil imaging, Curvature Wave-front sensing (WFS), and high resolution Shack-Hartmann WFS. This instrument was built by the Instituto de Astronomia UNAM in Mexico City and the Centro de Ingenieria y Desarrollo Industrial (CIDESI) in Queretaro, Qro under a GRANTECAN contract after an international public bid. Some optical components were built by Centro de Investigaciones en Optica (CIO) in Leon Gto and the biggest mechanical parts were manufactured by Vatech in Morelia Mich. In this paper we made a general description of the CI and we relate how this instrument, build under international standards, was entirely made in Mexico.
OSIRIS (Optical System for Imaging and low Resolution Integrated Spectroscopy) is the optical Day One instrument for the 10.4m Spanish telescope GTC to be installed in the Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos (La Palma, Spain). This instrument, operational in mid-2004, covers from 360 up to 1000 nm. OSIRIS observing modes include direct imaging with tunable and conventional filters, long slit and multiple object spectroscopy and fast spectrophotometry. The OSIRIS wide field of view, high efficiency and the new observing modes (tunable imaging and fast spectrophotometry) for 8-10m class telescopes will provide GTC with a powerful tool for their scientific exploitation. The present paper provides an updated overview of the instrument development, of some of the scientific projects that will be tackled with OSIRIS and of the general requirements driving the optical and mechanical design.
Under a contract with the GRANTECAN, the Commissioning Instrument is a project developed by a team of Mexican scientists and engineers from the Instrumentation Department of the Astronomy Institute at the UNAM and the CIDESI Engineering Center.
This paper will discuss in some detail the final Commissioning Instrument (CI) mechanical design and fabrication. We will also explain the error budget and the barrels design as well as their thermal compensation. The optical design and the control system are discussed in other papers.
The CI will just act as a diagnostic tool for image quality verification during the GTC Commissioning Phase. This phase is a quality control process for achieving, verifying, and documenting the performance of each GTC sub-systems. This is a very important step for the telescope life. It will begin on starting day and will last for a year.
The CI project started in December 2000. The critical design phase was reviewed in July 2001. The CI manufacturing is currently in progress and most parts are finished. We are now approaching the factory acceptance stage.
This paper describes both the electronics design (ED) and the acceptance control system (ACS) of the Commissioning Instrument (CI) for the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). The CI mainly comprises ten mechanisms accurately positioned by control algorithms, which in turn are programmed according to the CI operation modes. The control system is based on a CANopen protocol and is completely compatible with the GTC control system. CANopen is a serial communication protocol based on CAN bus. The CANopen features allow for the control system high reliability. A Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety (RAMS) analysis was carried out to guarantee the CI opto-mechanics and electronics performance.
Under a contract with the GRANTECAN, the Commissioning Instrument (CI) is a project developed by a team of Mexican scientists and engineers from the Instrumentation Department of the Astronomy Institute at the UNAM and the CIDESI Engineering Center. The CI will verify the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) performance during the commissioning phase between First Light and Day One. The design phase is now completed and the project is currently in the manufacturing phase.
The CI main goal is to measure the telescope image quality. To obtain a stable high resolution image, the mechanical structures should be as rigid as possible. This paper describes the several steps of the conceptual design and the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for the CI mechanical structures.
A variety of models were proposed. The FEA was useful to evaluate the displacements, shape modes, weight, and thermal expansions of each model. A set of indicators were compared with decision matrixes. The best performance models were subjected to a re-optimization stage. By applying the same decision method, a CI Structure Model was proposed. The FEA results complied with all the instruments specifications. Displacements values and vibration frequencies are reported.
During the GTC integration phase, the Commissioning Instrument (CI) will be a diagnostic tool for performance verification. The CI features four operation modes-imaging, pupil imaging, Curvature WFS, and high resolution Shack-Hartmann WFS. After the GTC Commissioning we also plan to install a Pyramid WFS. This instrument can therefore serve as a test bench for comparing co-phasing methods for ELTs on a real segmented telescope. In this paper we made a general instrument overview.
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