We report the on-sky performance of two new integral field units (IFUs) for the Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrograph (GNIRS). The IFUs were designed and built at the Centre for Advanced Instrumentation in Durham University, as part of Gemini’s Instrument Upgrade Program. The Low Resolution IFU (LR-IFU) has a field-of-view of 3.15" ´ 4.80" sampled with a pixel scale of 0.15". It currently covers the X, J, H, and K nearinfrared bands with a spectral resolution of R~1700−7200 depending on the grating. Observations with the LRIFU can be combined with the “super-seeing” mode offered by Gemini-North (LGS+PWFS1), which can improve the sharpness of the PSF to below the Nyquist sampling. The High Resolution IFU (HR-IFU) has a 1.80" × 1.25" field-of-view at a 0.05" sampling, and is optimized for fully adaptively corrected images delivered by the Gemini North ALTAIR AO system. In addition, the GNIRS HR-IFU extends Gemini’s integral field capabilities in wavelength out to the thermal infrared, i.e., in the L and M bands, with 0.2” spatial resolution and up to a spectral resolution of R~18,000. Thanks to their exceptional throughput (70-85% of the long slit width matching the size of the slicer), the commissioning of these modes opens up new scientific opportunities for spatially resolved spectroscopy on Gemini, including study of the kinematics of stellar outflows around high-mass young stellar objects, probing the AGN-Starburst connection in active galactic nuclei, estimating black hole masses from infrared line diagnostics, resolving spectroscopy of gravitationally lensed galaxies and resolving jet dynamics in Herbig-Haro objects.
The International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab is currently developing GNAO, the next-generation adaptive optics (AO) facility for the 8-m Gemini-North telescope. GNAO’s primary science instrument will be the future Gemini Infrared Multi-Object Spectrograph (GIRMOS) which will use the AO-compensated beam from GNAO to offer (i) wide-field near-infrared imaging with near diffraction-limited performance over fields of approximately 20 arcsec× 20 arcsec, (ii) seeing-enhanced imaging over fields of up to 85 arcsec×85 arcsec, and (iii) spatially-resolved near-infrared spectroscopy through up to four deployable integral field units. Time domain applications have played a major role in defining GNAO’s capabilities. As a queue-operated, 4-laser-guide-star adaptive optics system, GNAO will be a premier facility for following up gamma-ray bursts and transient multimessenger events at high angular resolution. This paper describes the operational requirements and concepts facilitating rapid-response observations with GNAO. We also present a preview of the anticipated sensitivity and astrometric performance when using GNAO together with the GIRMOS imaging mode.
IGRINS-2 is a high-resolution, near-infrared spectrograph developed by Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) for Gemini Observatory as a new facility instrument. It provides spectral resolving power of ~45,000 and a simultaneous wavelength coverage of 1.49-2.46 μm. IGRINS-2 is an improved version of IGRINS (Immersion GRating INfrared Spectrometer) with minor optical and mechanical design changes, new detector controllers, and operating software to be fully integrated into Gemini operating systems. Since the project began in early 2020, project key milestones including assembly and pre-delivery performance verification were completed, and delivered to Gemini North in early September, 2023. After the successful post-delivery verification and telescope integration, the first light spectra were acquired in October 2023. We present design changes and upgrades made to IGRINS-2 from the original IGRINS, assembly and alignment procedures, and verification of the instrument requirements. We also report the preliminary results of the system performance tests.
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