The 2.5 m Telescope of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
2,5-метровый телескоп Слоановского цифрового обзора неба
2006-03-28
SCID: 54.1/t3sxg7a8
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2.5 m telescopeRitchey-Chrétien designSloan Digital Sky Surveyfiber-fed spectroscopytime-delay-and-integrate imaging
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Abstract (AI)
We describe the design, construction, and performance of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey telescope located at Apache Point Observatory. The telescope is a modified two-corrector Ritchey-Chrétien design with a 2.5 m, f/2.25 primary, a 1.08 m secondary, a Gascoigne astigmatism corrector, and one of a pair of interchangeable highly aspheric correctors near the focal plane, one for imaging and the other for spectroscopy. The final focal ratio is f/5. The telescope is instrumented by a wide-area, multiband CCD camera and a pair of fiber-fed double spectrographs. Novel features of the telescope include the following: (1) A 3° diameter (0.65 m) focal plane that has excellent image quality and small geometric distortions over a wide wavelength range (3000-10,600 Å) in the imaging mode, and good image quality combined with very small lateral and longitudinal color errors in the spectroscopic mode. The unusual requirement of very low distortion is set by the demands of time-delay-and-integrate (TDI) imaging. (2) Very high precision motion to support open-loop TDI observations. (3) A unique wind baffle/enclosure construction to maximize image quality and minimize construction costs. The telescope had first light in 1998 May and began regular survey operations in 2000.
Key Findings
1
High-precision motion enables open-loop time-delay-and-integrate imaging, while the wind-baffle enclosure improves image quality and reduces construction costs.
2
Interchangeable highly aspheric correctors support wide-field imaging and fiber-fed spectroscopy, integrated with a multiband CCD camera and paired double spectrographs.
3
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey telescope uses a modified two-corrector Ritchey–Chrétien design with a 2.5 m f/2.25 primary and final focal ratio of f/5.
4
The imaging focal plane spans 3° in diameter and provides excellent image quality with low geometric distortion across 3000–10,600 Å.
5
The spectroscopic mode combines good image quality with very small lateral and longitudinal chromatic errors.
6
The telescope achieved first light in May 1998 and began regular survey operations in 2000.
Research Object
The 2.5 m Sloan Digital Sky Survey telescope and its imaging and spectroscopic focal-plane systems
Research Subject
The telescope’s optical performance, precision motion, image quality, chromatic and geometric distortions, and enclosure design for wide-field TDI imaging and spectroscopy
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2006-03-28
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