GeminiFocus GPI
it will share a common corrector and infrastructure with the HyperSuprime Camera.
The first major component of the Aspen instrumentation program is the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI). The GPI
Two years ago uncertainty in the availability of funding for
team, led by Bruce Macintosh at Lawrence Livermore
WFMOS led to a three-month pause in the conceptual
National Laboratory (LLNL), is now advancing rapidly
design studies, which were just getting started at the time.
towards completing the design phase. The critical design
Now, nearly two years later, we have finally succeeded
review (CDR) for GPI is scheduled for May 2008. To
in restarting conceptual design studies conducted by two
prepare for CDR, the science team (led by James Graham
competing teams. One team is led by Sam Barden of
(Berkeley)) has developed several proposed planet-finding
the Anglo-Australian Observatory (AAO). Richard Ellis
surveys for GPI. These “design reference missions” help
(Caltech) heads a second team headquartered at JPL.
the team make complex design decisions as they arise.
Both teams include international members from across the Gemini partnership and Japan. Competition is an
Gemini is working with the project manager Dave Palmer
essential element of the conceptual design studies because
(LLNL) and the systems engineer Les Saddlemyer (HIA)
it encourages creative thinking about the technical aspects
to better define how GPI will work within the Gemini
of such a revolutionary instrument, and it maintains
environment. Gemini has two new employees helping
pressure on the teams to be as realistic as possible with
with GPI full-time: Steve Varlese, who has extensive
their cost estimates and performance requirements. The
experience with project management and systems
conceptual design studies are scheduled to be completed
engineering, and Arturo Núñez, a software engineer.
and a team selected early next year.
Both started working for Gemini on the GPI project in January 2008. We are happy to have them on board as we prepare for the important CDR milestone.
Figure 2.
Meeting flyer for the WFMOS science conference.
The rest of the GPI team, including UCLA (integral field spectrograph), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (calibration interferometer), the American Museum of Natural History (coronagraph), the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics (mechanical structure and software), University of California-Santa Cruz (deformable mirror, assembly and testing), and Université de Montréal (data processing software) are working as an effective and united team to complete the detailed design.
Their
recent efforts will help ensure that this precision optical instrument performs to specification for many years, even in the dusty, vibrating, and changing environment on the telescope.
WFMOS The second Aspen instrument out of the gate is the Wide-field Fiber Multi-Object Spectrometer (WFMOS).
As mentioned above, Gemini is teaming up with Subaru
It will revolutionize our understanding of the history of
to build WFMOS. Very early in the planning process,
the Milky Way Galaxy and the evolution of the universe
while the feasibility of WFMOS was being studied, we
by measuring thousands of spectra simultaneously
realized that the Subaru telescope on Mauna Kea would
across a field of view 1.5 degrees in diameter. Gemini is
be a much better platform for a massive prime-focus,
planning this ambitious instrument in collaboration with
wide-field optical instrument than Gemini. The Japanese
our Japanese colleagues at the Subaru Observatory, and
are major players in the scientific areas that WFMOS
WFMOS will be installed on the Subaru telescope where
will address. Subaru and Gemini will share the costs
47 www.gemini.edu