The Astronomical Journal (Jan 2024)
Gemini High-resolution Optical Spectrograph (GHOST) at Gemini South: Instrument Performance and Integration, First Science, and Next Steps
- V. M. Kalari,
- R. J. Diaz,
- G. Robertson,
- A. McConnachie,
- M. Ireland,
- R. Salinas,
- P. Young,
- C. Simpson,
- C. Hayes,
- J. Nielsen,
- G. Burley,
- J. Pazder,
- M. Gomez-Jimenez,
- E. Martioli,
- S. B. Howell,
- M. Jeong,
- S. Juneau,
- R. Ruiz-Carmona,
- S. Margheim,
- A. Sheinis,
- A. Anthony,
- G. Baker,
- T. A. M. Berg,
- T. Cao,
- E. Chapin,
- T. Chin,
- K. Chiboucas,
- V. Churilov,
- E. Deibert,
- A. Densmore,
- J. Dunn,
- M. L. Edgar,
- J. Heo,
- D. Henderson,
- T. Farrell,
- J. Font,
- V. Firpo,
- J. Fuentes,
- K. Labrie,
- S. Lambert,
- J. Lawrence,
- J. Lothrop,
- R. McDermid,
- B. W. Miller,
- G. Perez,
- V. M. Placco,
- P. Prado,
- C. Quiroz,
- F. Ramos,
- R. Rutten,
- K. M. G. Silva,
- J. Thomas-Osip,
- C. Urrutia,
- W. D. Vacca,
- K. Venn,
- F. Waller,
- L. Waller,
- M. White,
- S. Xu,
- R. Zhelem
Affiliations
- V. M. Kalari
- ORCiD
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
- R. J. Diaz
- ORCiD
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
- G. Robertson
- ORCiD
- Australian Astronomical Optics, Macquarie University , 105 Delhi Road, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia; Sydney Institute for Astronomy, School of Physics, University of Sydney , NSW 2006, Australia
- A. McConnachie
- ORCiD
- NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre , 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC, V9E 2E7, Canada
- M. Ireland
- ORCiD
- Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, College of Science, Australian National University , Canberra 2611, Australia
- R. Salinas
- ORCiD
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile; Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de La Serena , Av. Juan Cisternas 1200, La Serena, Chile
- P. Young
- ORCiD
- Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, College of Science, Australian National University , Canberra 2611, Australia
- C. Simpson
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , 670 N. A’Ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720, USA
- C. Hayes
- NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre , 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC, V9E 2E7, Canada; Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- J. Nielsen
- Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, College of Science, Australian National University , Canberra 2611, Australia
- G. Burley
- NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre , 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC, V9E 2E7, Canada
- J. Pazder
- NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre , 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC, V9E 2E7, Canada
- M. Gomez-Jimenez
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
- E. Martioli
- ORCiD
- Laboratório Nacional de Astrofísica , Rua Estados Unidos 154, 37504-364, Itajubá—MG, Brazil
- S. B. Howell
- NASA Ames Research Center , Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
- M. Jeong
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile; Department of Astronomy, Space Science, and Geology, Chungnam National University , Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
- S. Juneau
- ORCiD
- NSF's NOIRLab , 950 N. Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
- R. Ruiz-Carmona
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
- S. Margheim
- Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
- A. Sheinis
- Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope , 65-1238 Mamalahoa Highway, Kamuela, HI 96743, USA
- A. Anthony
- NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre , 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC, V9E 2E7, Canada
- G. Baker
- Australian Astronomical Optics, Macquarie University , 105 Delhi Road, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia
- T. A. M. Berg
- NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre , 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC, V9E 2E7, Canada
- T. Cao
- Department of Astronomy, Xiamen University , 422 Siming South Road, Xiamen 361005, People's Republic of China
- E. Chapin
- NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre , 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC, V9E 2E7, Canada
- T. Chin
- Australian Astronomical Optics, Macquarie University , 105 Delhi Road, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia
- K. Chiboucas
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , 670 N. A’Ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720, USA
- V. Churilov
- Australian Astronomical Optics, Macquarie University , 105 Delhi Road, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia
- E. Deibert
- ORCiD
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
- A. Densmore
- NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre , 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC, V9E 2E7, Canada
- J. Dunn
- NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre , 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC, V9E 2E7, Canada
- M. L. Edgar
- Australian Astronomical Observatory , Australia
- J. Heo
- ORCiD
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
- D. Henderson
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , 670 N. A’Ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720, USA
- T. Farrell
- Australian Astronomical Optics, Macquarie University , 105 Delhi Road, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia
- J. Font
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
- V. Firpo
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
- J. Fuentes
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile; ESO , Alonso de Cordova 3107, Vitacura, Santiago de Chile, Chile
- K. Labrie
- ORCiD
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , 670 N. A’Ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720, USA
- S. Lambert
- NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre , 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC, V9E 2E7, Canada
- J. Lawrence
- Australian Astronomical Optics, Macquarie University , 105 Delhi Road, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia
- J. Lothrop
- NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre , 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC, V9E 2E7, Canada
- R. McDermid
- ORCiD
- Australian Astronomical Optics, Macquarie University , 105 Delhi Road, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia
- B. W. Miller
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
- G. Perez
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
- V. M. Placco
- ORCiD
- NSF's NOIRLab , 950 N. Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
- P. Prado
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
- C. Quiroz
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
- F. Ramos
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
- R. Rutten
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
- K. M. G. Silva
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
- J. Thomas-Osip
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
- C. Urrutia
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
- W. D. Vacca
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , 670 N. A’Ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720, USA
- K. Venn
- NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre , 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC, V9E 2E7, Canada
- F. Waller
- NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre , 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC, V9E 2E7, Canada
- L. Waller
- Australian Astronomical Optics, Macquarie University , 105 Delhi Road, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia
- M. White
- Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, College of Science, Australian National University , Canberra 2611, Australia
- S. Xu
- ORCiD
- Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab , 670 N. A’Ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720, USA
- R. Zhelem
- Australian Astronomical Optics, Macquarie University , 105 Delhi Road, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad72ed
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 168,
no. 5
p. 208
Abstract
The Gemini South telescope is now equipped with a new high-resolution spectrograph called the Gemini High-resolution Optical SpecTrograph (GHOST). This instrument provides high-efficiency, high-resolution spectra covering 347–1060 nm in a single exposure of either one or two targets simultaneously, along with precision radial velocity spectroscopy utilizing an internal calibration source. It can operate at a spectral element resolving power of either 76,000 or 56,000, and can reach a signal-to-noise ratio of ∼5 in a 1 hr exposure on a V ∼ 20.8 mag target in median site seeing and dark skies (per resolution element). GHOST was installed on-site in 2022 June, and we report performance after full integration to queue operations in 2023 November, in addition to scientific results enabled by the integration observing runs. These results demonstrate the ability to observe a wide variety of bright and faint targets with high efficiency and precision. With GHOST, new avenues to explore high-resolution spectroscopy have opened up to the astronomical community. These are described, along with the planned and potential upgrades to the instrument.
Keywords
