Development of the Perkins ReImaging SysteM (PRISM) at Boston University for Astronomical Studies

Trustees Of Boston University, Boston

Investigators

Abstract

Janes MRI007954 Abstract A versatile instrument (PRISM) for the Perkins 72-inch telescope located on Anderson Mesa south of Flagstaff and operated by Lowell Observatory in Collaboration with Boston University will be developed. The telescope currently has no instruments since Ohio State has pulled out of the consortium which "owns" this telescope. This prism instrument will provide for wide-field imaging, polarimetry and low dispersion multi-object spectroscopy. The system will employ a large format (2048x2048), 15-micron pixel Loral CCD focal plane. Wide-field imaging on this 1.83-meter telescope will cover a 13.6 x 13.6 arcminutes field of view with 0.4 arcsecond pixels across the entire 0.32 to 1. Micron wavelength range. The moderate resolution grism spectrometer will cover the same spectral range with a spectral resolving power of approximately 1,000. Linear imaging polarimetry will cover 90 square arc-minute field of view with incremental polarization below 0.05%, across the 0.32 to 1-micrometer wavelength band. ***