The Robotic Multiobject Focal Plane System of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI)

Silber, Joseph Harry; Fagrelius, Parker; Fanning, Kevin; Schubnell, Michael; Aguilar, Jessica Nicole; Ahlen, Steven; Ameel, Jon; Ballester, Otger; Baltay, Charles; Bebek, Chris; Beard, Dominic Benton; Besuner, Robert; Cardiel-Sas, Laia; Casas, Ricard; Castander, Francisco Javier; Claybaugh, Todd; Dobson, Carl; Duan, Yutong; Dunlop, Patrick; Edelstein, Jerry; Emmet, William T.; Elliott, Ann; Evatt, Matthew; Gershkovich, Irena; Guy, Julien; Harris, Stu; Heetderks, Henry; Heetderks, Ian; Honscheid, Klaus; Illa, Jose Maria; Jelinsky, Patrick; Jelinsky, Sharon R.; Jimenez, Jorge; Karcher, Armin; Kent, Stephen; Kirkby, David; Kneib, Jean-Paul; Lambert, Andrew; Lampton, Mike; Leitner, Daniela; Levi, Michael; McCauley, Jeremy; Meisner, Aaron; Miller, Timothy N.; Miquel, Ramon; Mundet, Juliá; Poppett, Claire; Rabinowitz, David; Reil, Kevin; Roman, David; Schlegel, David; Serrano, Santiago; Van Shourt, William; Sprayberry, David; Tarlé, Gregory; Sien Tie, Suk; Weaverdyck, Curtis; Zhang, Kai; Azz...

Abstract

A system of 5,020 robotic fiber positioners was installed in 2019 on the Mayall Telescope, at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The robots automatically re-target their optical fibers every 10 - 20 minutes, each to a precision of several microns, with a reconfiguration time less than 2 minutes. Over the next five years, they will enable the newly-constructed Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) to measure the spectra of 35 million galaxies and quasars. DESI will produce the largest 3D map of the universe to date and measure the expansion history of the cosmos. In addition to the 5,020 robotic positioners and optical fibers, DESI's Focal Plane System includes 6 guide cameras, 4 wavefront cameras, 123 fiducial point sources, and a metrology camera mounted at the primary mirror. The system also includes associated structural, thermal, and electrical systems. In all, it contains over 675,000 individual parts. We discuss the design, construction, quality control, and integration of all these components. We include a summary of the key requirements, the review and acceptance process, on-sky validations of requirements, and lessons learned for future multi-object, fiber-fed spectrographs.

Citation

Silber, J. H., Fagrelius, P., Fanning, K., Schubnell, M., Aguilar, J. N., Ahlen, S., …Zou, H. (2023). The Robotic Multiobject Focal Plane System of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). Astronomical Journal, 165(1), Article 9. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ac9ab1

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 4, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Dec 7, 2022
• Publication Date: 2023-01
• Deposit Date: Oct 27, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 13, 2023
• Journal: Astronomical Journal
• Print ISSN: 0004-6256
• Electronic ISSN: 1538-3881
• Publisher: IOP Publishing
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 165
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 9
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ac9ab1
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1186851
• Related Public URLs: https://arxiv.org/abs/2205.09014