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| HARMONI | |
|---|---|
| Name | HARMONI |
| Caption | Integral-field spectrograph for the European Southern Observatory's Extremely Large Telescope |
| Country | European Southern Observatory |
| Built | 2010s–2020s |
| First light | planned for 2020s |
| Wavelength | Visible to near-infrared |
| Type | Integral-field spectrograph |
| Aperture | for use with ELT 39 m primary |
HARMONI
HARMONI is an integral-field spectrograph developed for the European Southern Observatory's ELT that will provide diffraction-limited spectroscopy across the visible and near-infrared bands. It is designed to operate with adaptive optics systems such as MAORY and to serve scientific programs led by teams from institutions including Max Planck Society, UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Observatoire de Paris, and INAF. The instrument links technologies and science goals central to projects like James Webb Space Telescope, Very Large Telescope, Gaia, and ALMA.
HARMONI is a first-generation, workhorse instrument for the ELT conceived to address key questions posed by surveys and missions such as Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Euclid, Hubble Space Telescope, and Chandra X-ray Observatory while complementing ground facilities like Keck Observatory and Subaru Telescope. Its integral-field unit enables three-dimensional datasets similar in purpose to instruments such as MUSE and SINFONI, and its design benefits from heritage at centers including ESO Garching, UK Astronomy Technology Centre, and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. The project is linked to funding and oversight by entities like the European Commission, national agencies such as Science and Technology Facilities Council and Institut National des Sciences de l'Univers, and collaborations with universities including University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Leiden University, and University of Lyon.
HARMONI's optical layout integrates image slicers, foreoptics, and a suite of gratings to deliver multiple spectral resolving powers comparable to those on Keck/OSIRIS, Gemini/NIFS, and VLT/X-shooter. Key components draw on technologies developed at institutes such as Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Observatoire de Paris, INAF–Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, and industrial partners like Thales Group and E2V Technologies. The instrument supports spaxel scales tailored to diffraction limits provided by adaptive optics modules developed alongside MAORY and interfaces with ELT Adaptive Optics Facility concepts used in projects like SPHERE and GPI. Its cryogenic design, detector selection (e.g., HgCdTe arrays), and calibration units reflect experience from missions and instruments including JWST NIRSpec, HST WFC3, VLT/CRIRES+, and Subaru/IRCS.
HARMONI targets science themes emphasized by programs led by groups at ESO and partner institutions: the nature of earliest galaxies highlighted by Hubble Ultra Deep Field studies and Planck cosmology; the assembly histories of galaxies studied by surveys like CANDELS and COSMOS; the dynamics of stellar clusters examined by teams using Gaia astrometry and ESO VLT spectroscopy; and the characterization of exoplanet atmospheres probed by transit programs related to TESS, CHEOPS, and PLATO. It will enable spatially resolved studies of chemical abundances analogous to programs at APOGEE and GALAH, and provide kinematic maps comparable to those from ATLAS3D and SAMI.
HARMONI offers multiple observing modes: high spatial resolution with single-conjugate adaptive optics (linked to developments at MAORY), wide-field seeing-limited modes used in surveys like VST projects, and medium-resolution modes optimized for galaxy kinematics akin to MUSE workflows. Data products will include calibrated data cubes, variance arrays, and instrument-specific quality flags compatible with science pipelines developed by groups at ESO Data Management and software projects like Astropy, ESO Reflex, and CPL (Common Pipeline Library). The instrument's output is intended to interoperate with archives such as the ESO Science Archive Facility and survey databases like Vizier.
Commissioning will follow procedures refined at observatories including Paranal Observatory, La Silla Observatory, and testbeds used by UK Astronomy Technology Centre and MPIA. Operational modes will be coordinated with ELT facility scheduling influenced by stakeholders like ESO Council and national observatories. Science verification campaigns will mirror strategies used by VLT instruments and mission verification efforts such as JWST commissioning, drawing teams from institutions like University of Cambridge, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, and Leiden Observatory.
Calibration strategies for HARMONI use lamps, etalons, and sky-line referencing similar to methods developed for VLT/X-shooter, Keck/LRIS, and Subaru/MOIRCS, with performance metrics benchmarked against expected ELT diffraction limits and Strehl ratios projected from adaptive optics simulations performed by groups at Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur and ONERA. Detector characterization follows standards established by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and industry partners, and performance verification will involve cross-calibration with instruments such as MUSE, CRIRES+, and JWST NIRSpec.
The HARMONI consortium brings together institutes and industry partners across Europe, including UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Observatoire de Paris, INAF, ETH Zurich, Leiden University, and companies like Thales Alenia Space. Its development timeline tracks milestones tied to ELT construction phases, funding decisions by the European Southern Observatory and national agencies such as Science and Technology Facilities Council and Agence Nationale de la Recherche, and technical reviews involving panels at ESO Garching and partner laboratories. The project builds on heritage from instruments like SINFONI, MUSE, and X-shooter and feeds scientific programs led by collaborations behind JWST, Euclid, and ground-based surveys.
Category:Instruments of the European Southern Observatory Category:Integral field spectrographs