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| Keck Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer | |
|---|---|
| Name | Keck Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer |
| Type | Optical spectrograph / imager |
| Operator | W. M. Keck Observatory |
| Location | Mauna Kea |
| Wavelength | Visible |
Keck Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer The Keck Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer is a facility-class optical instrument mounted at W. M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea that provides imaging and low- to moderate-resolution spectroscopy for investigations ranging from nearby Solar System objects to high-redshift quasars and galaxy evolution. Commissioned for service on the Keck I telescope, the instrument supports multi-mode observations used by teams at institutions such as Caltech, University of California, Berkeley, University of Hawaii, NOAO and international collaborators. Its operations intersect programs led by principal investigators awarded time through committees like the NOIRLab Time Allocation Committee and projects associated with surveys such as COSMOS and follow-up of targets from facilities like the Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Designed as a versatile optical imager and spectrograph, the instrument delivers low-resolution long-slit and multi-slit spectroscopy along with direct imaging for target acquisition and science. The instrument has been central to programs studying Type Ia supernovae, gamma-ray burst afterglows, Lyman-alpha emitters, and kinematics of galaxy cluster members. It interfaces with the observatory control systems used at Keck Observatory and participates in coordinated campaigns with facilities including Subaru Telescope, Very Large Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, and radio observatories like Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array.
The optical layout comprises a set of interchangeable grisms and gratings, a collimator, a camera, and a cryogenically cooled charge-coupled device provided by vendors and supported by engineering teams from Caltech and University of California Observatory. Mechanically, the assembly mounts on the Keck I instrument port and includes a slit mask mechanism for multi-object spectroscopy engineered with precision by staff from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and collaborators at University of California, Santa Cruz. Key components include a filter wheel populated with broadband and narrowband filters used by programs from Space Telescope Science Institute investigators, a guider and acquisition system for alignment developed with input from NOAO instrument scientists, and electronics racks maintained in partnership with NASA support engineers.
Supported observing modes include direct imaging through standard photometric systems used by surveys like Sloan Digital Sky Survey, long-slit spectroscopy for kinematic studies of active galactic nucleus host galaxies, and multi-object spectroscopy via custom masks for redshift surveys akin to projects run by teams from Princeton University and University of Cambridge. The instrument accommodates spectral resolutions suitable for studies of H II region emission lines, stellar population absorption features, and transient spectroscopy for targets discovered by programs such as Pan-STARRS and Zwicky Transient Facility. Observers schedule service and classical observing blocks via the Keck Observatory Archive and coordinate calibration sequences consistent with standards set by National Institute of Standards and Technology and photometric catalogs maintained by Two Micron All Sky Survey.
Performance metrics include delivered image quality tied to the Mauna Kea seeing statistics, spectral throughput influenced by mirror coating maintenance by Keck technical staff, and detector noise characteristics tested by instrument teams alongside hardware partners at MIT and Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Typical limiting magnitudes and signal-to-noise ratios are reported in instrument manuals used by science teams studying faint Lyman break galaxys and dwarf satellite galaxy populations. The instrument’s sensitivity benefits from the 10-meter aperture of Keck I and is optimized for the optical window where atmospheric transmission is highest at Mauna Kea.
Calibration sequences include arc lamps for wavelength solutions, flat fields using illuminated dome screens coordinated with observatory operations, and spectrophotometric standards observed from lists maintained by Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory and European Southern Observatory staff. Data reduction pipelines developed by collaborating groups at Caltech, University of California, Berkeley, and community contributors provide bias subtraction, cosmic-ray rejection algorithms used by teams at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, optimal extraction routines, and flux calibration referenced to standards such as those from Hubble Space Telescope calibration programs. Reduced products are archived in formats compatible with community tools developed by Astropy contributors and analysis packages used by researchers at Stanford University.
The instrument has contributed to measurements of Hubble constant related projects, redshift confirmation of high-redshift galaxy candidates from deep imaging, spectroscopic typing of supernovae used in cosmology, and kinematic mapping of galaxy merger remnants pursued by groups at Yale University and University of Chicago. It enabled follow-up spectroscopy of transient alerts from facilities like Swift (satellite) and played a role in studies of chemical abundances in damped Lyman-alpha systems observed in quasar sightlines researched by teams at University of Arizona. Collaborative science teams funded by agencies including NSF and NASA have used instrument data in publications appearing in journals managed by the American Astronomical Society.
Commissioned in the era of instrument suite expansion at Keck Observatory, the spectrograph underwent performance-driven upgrades coordinated by engineering groups at Caltech and University of California Observatories, echoing development patterns seen in instruments at Subaru Telescope and Gemini Observatory. Upgrade projects have included detector replacements, new grisms and filters procured with contributions from institutions such as Space Telescope Science Institute and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and software modernization efforts aligning with archive standards implemented by NOIRLab. These upgrades supported extended science programs tied to campaigns like deep field surveys and time-domain follow-up with partners including European Space Agency investigators.
Category:Keck Observatory instruments