| 1. |
- Bristow, Paul, et al.
(author)
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CRIRES+ : Characterisation and preparation during the pandemic
- 2022
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In: Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy IX. - : SPIE - International Society for Optical Engineering. - 9781510653504 - 9781510653498
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In early 2020 the upgraded(1) CRIRES2 instrument, was installed at the VLT, however the onset of the global pandemic prevented the completion of some aspects of the installation while characterisation and commissioning had to be conducted with a remote connection from Europe. This resulted in a somewhat experimental, ad-hoc, approach to characterisation that required tight co-ordination between Paranal scientists and the instrument team in Europe. Moreover, with the observatory operating at minimal staffing, we had to find workarounds for some unfinished parts of the installation and adapt our characterisation, calibration and operations strategies accordingly. In particular, we discuss the adaptation made to the metrology strategy that illustrates well the pragmatic and ultimately successful approach adopted for getting CRIRES+ ready for operations.
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| 2. |
- Brucalassi, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Full System Test and early Preliminary Acceptance Europe results for CRIRES
- 2018
-
In: Ground-Based And Airborne Instrumentation For Astronomy VII. - : SPIE. - 9781510619586
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- CRIRES+ is the new high-resolution NIR echelle spectrograph intended to be operated at the platform B of VLT Unit telescope UT3. It will cover from Y to M bands (0.95-5.3um) with a spectral resolution of R = 50000 or R = 100000. The main scientific goals are the search of super-Earths in the habitable zone of low-mass stars, the characterisation of transiting planets atmosphere and the study of the origin and evolution of stellar magnetic fields. Based on the heritage of the old adaptive optics (AO) assisted VLT instrument CRIRES, the new spectrograph will present improved optical layout, a new detector system and a new calibration unit providing optimal performances in terms of simultaneous wavelength coverage and radial velocity accuracy (a few m/s). The total observing efficiency will be enhanced by a factor of 10 with respect to CRIRES. An innovative spectro-polarimetry mode will be also offered and a new metrology system will ensure very high system stability and repeatability. Fiinally, the CRIRES+ project will also provide the community with a new data reduction software (DRS) package. CRIRES+ is currently at the initial phase of its Preliminary Acceptance in Europe (PAE) and it will be commissioned early in 2019 at VLT. This work outlines the main results obtained during the initial phase of the full system test at ESO HQ Garching.
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| 3. |
- Dorn, Reinhold J., et al.
(author)
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CRIRES+ on sky : High spectral resolution at infrared wavelength enabling better science at the ESO VLT
- 2022
-
In: Ground-Based And Airborne Instrumentation For Astronomy IX. - : SPIE - International Society for Optical Engineering. - 9781510653504 - 9781510653498
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- CRIRES+ extended the capabilities of CRIRES, the CRyogenic InfraRed Echelle Spectrograph. It transformed this VLT instrument into a cross-dispersed spectrograph to increase the wavelength range that is covered simultaneously by a factor of ten. In addition, a new detector focal plane array of three Hawaii 2RG detectors with a 5.3 mu m cut-off wavelength replaced the existing detectors. Amongst many other improvements a new spectropolarimetric unit was added and the calibration system has been enhanced. The instrument was installed at the VLT on Unit Telescope 3 beginning of 2020 and successfully commissioned and verified for science operations during 2021, partly remote from Europe due to the pandemic. The instrument was subsequently offered to the community from October 2021 onwards. This article describes the performance and capabilities of this development and presents on sky results.
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