[AAA] Recordatorio: GSC poll on new NIR capabilities

[Oficina Gemini Argentina]

Estimados miembros de la comunidad,

mediante el presente mensaje les recordamos que el observatorio Gemini se 
encuentra evaluando posibles mejoras a la instrumentación IR del 
observatorio. Esto se realiza en el marco de un proceso que se ha iniciado 
con la construcción del nuevo espectrógrafo óptico de alta resolución para 
Gemini, y que continua ahora con la definición de un remplazo para NIRI. 
En tal sentido se ha circulado una serie de preguntas referentes a la 
capacidad de imágenes en el infrarrojo cercano para Gemini Norte, las 
cuales adjuntamos nuevamente a este mensaje.

A continuación, acercamos a ustedes algunos detalles extra de este 
proceso, los cuales agradecemos al Dr Laerte Sodre (GSC Brasil) y Marília 
Sartori (NGO Brasil):

"At its last meeting (April 4-5 2011), the Gemini Science Committee 
recommended Gemini initiate a design study for a ground layer adaptive 
optics system (GLAO) featuring an adaptive secondary for Gemini-North 
along with the procurement of an infrared imager (hereafter referred to as 
NIRI-II).  The near-IR instrument would be optimized to take advantage of 
wide-field GLAO, if developed, and also to replace, as fast as possible, 
the aging NIRI imager on Gemini-North which, due to both mechanism and 
detector/readout problems, may fail in the short term. At a minimum, 
NIRI-II would also incorporate a narrow AO field mode that would 
appropriately sample diffraction-limited images offered by the existing AO 
facility (ALTAIR) or any other second-generation AO system (e.g. Laser 
Tomographic AO with an adaptive secondary) with wider field and sky 
coverage that may emerge in the future. A GSC working group has come up 
with the following preliminary specifications for a "relatively simple" 
NIRI-II instrument:

- Wide-field mode:  7'x7' FOV, 0.1" pixel (4kx4k detector), YJHK 
wavelength coverage. N.B. the proposed FOV is the largest possible on 
Gemini without making major changes to the telescope.

- Narrow-field AO mode: 20"-40" FOV, sampling better than 3 pixels per 
FWHM at 1.25 um (~10 mas/pixel). YJHKL'M wavelength coverage.

- No spectroscopic mode

We request the feedback of the Gemini community to refine these initial 
requirements of an instrument that best matches its needs. One important 
consideration in this planning is the new operational mode at Gemini, the 
so-called "four plus one" operation whereby only four instruments plus an 
AO system are to be supported at both observatories in the near term. In 
this context, one should strive for implementing as many modes as possible 
into one instrument but this must be weighted against complexity, high 
cost and a more lengthy development cycle. Another important consideration 
in expressing one's desires is the existing near-IR instrumentation 
already available (or soon to be available) on Gemini. This includes 
GNIRS, NIFS, NICI and, in the near future, GPI, GeMS + GSAOI (MCAO) and 
Flamingos-2."

Invitamos a quienes lo deseen, a responder aquellas preguntas que resulten 
de su interés, y a enviarnos sus respuestas a esta dirección de e-mail 
hasta el día 9 de junio. De la misma forma, esperamos cualquier consulta 
referida a estos temas.

Los saludamos atentamente,

_____________________________________________________________
Oficina Argentina del Proyecto Gemini

Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e
Innovación Productiva

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