MOSAIC, the ELT multiobject spectrograph: positioners with integrated atmospheric dispersion correction
MOSAIC is the multi-object fibre spectrograph for ESO's 39-m Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). It offers unique capabilities for a gigantic telescope in terms of multiplexing, wavelength coverage and spectral resolution. MOSAIC covers the visible (0.39-0.95 microns) and NIR (0.95-1.8 microns) wavelength domains. It has been designed to cover the largest possible area (~40 arcmin²) on the ELT focal plane. This paper focuses on the optical realisation of the robotic arms designed to pick the light from the curved, non-telecentric focal surface while providing individual atmospheric dispersion correction for each of the 261 probes. Further challenges of the design are the large wavelength range and the tight tolerances necessary for an efficient optical fibre injection. An optical setup to test prototypes and to characterize the batch produced positioners will be introduced, allowing each individual pickoff arm to reach the tight tolerances for pointing accuracy and pupil stability.
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Schmoll, J., Chapuis-Kerouanton, D., Dalton, G., Gabarra, L., Galal, M., Lewis, I. J., Rodrigues, M., Rombach, M., Sablowski, D. P., Schallig, E., Thurneysen, M., & York, A. (2026). MOSAIC, the ELT multiobject spectrograph: positioners with integrated atmospheric dispersion correction. In J. R. Vernet, J. J. Bryant, & K. Motohara (Editors), Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy XI. SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation ” From concept to cosmos: engineering the future of astronomy through global collaboration ” (2026), Copenhagen, Denmark, July 5, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3103862
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Durham University
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
University of Oxford
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
University of Oxford
Observatoire de Paris
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam
University of Oxford
2026-08-21
Proceedings; 14149
282
REVIEWED
EPFL
| Event name | Event acronym | Event place | Event date |
Copenhagen, Denmark | 2026-07-05 - 2026-07-11 | ||