Optical Spectrometer with Acousto-Optical Dynamic Grating for Guillermo Haro Astrophysical Observatory

Alexandre S.  Shcherbakov; Adán Omar  Arellanes; Vahram  Chavushyan

doi:10.4236/ijaa.2013.34043

Alexandre S. Shcherbakov, Adán Omar Arellanes, Vahram Chavushyan

Abstract: Optical spectrometer of the Guillermo Haro astrophysical observatory (Mexico) realizes investigations in the visible and near-infrared range 350 - 800 nm and exploits mechanically removable traditional static diffraction gratings as dispersive elements. There is a set of the static gratings with slit-densities 150 - 600 lines/mm and optical apertures 9 cm × 9 cm that provide the first order spectral resolution from 0.8 to 3.2 A/pixel, respectively. However, the needed mechanical manipulations, namely, replacing the static diffraction gratings with various resolutions and following recalibration of spectrometer within studying even the same object are practically inconvenient and lead to wasting rather expensive observation time. We suggest exploiting an acousto-optical cell, i.e. the dynamic diffraction grating tunable electronically, as dispersive element in that spectrometer. Involving the acousto-optical technique, which can potentially provide electronic control over the spectral resolution and the range of observations, leads to eliminating the abovementioned demerits and improving the efficiency of analysis.

Keywords: Optical Spectrometer; Acousto-Optical Cell; Dynamic Diffraction Grating; Acousto-Optical Material; Schematic Arrangement; Spectral Resolution; Efficiency of Spectrum Analysis

Cite this paper: A. Shcherbakov, A. Arellanes and V. Chavushyan, "Optical Spectrometer with Acousto-Optical Dynamic Grating for Guillermo Haro Astrophysical Observatory," International Journal of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol. 3 No. 4, 2013, pp. 376-384. doi: 10.4236/ijaa.2013.34043.

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