The infrared imaging spectrograph (IRIS) for TMT: sensitivities and simulations
Abstract
We present sensitivity estimates for point and resolved astronomical sources for the current design of the InfraRed Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) on the future Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). IRIS, with TMT's adaptive optics system, will achieve unprecedented point source sensitivities in the near-infrared (0.84 - 2.45 μm) when compared to systems on current 8-10m ground based telescopes. The IRIS imager, in 5 hours of total integration, will be able to perform a few percent photometry on 26 - 29 magnitude (AB) point sources in the near-infrared broadband filters (Z, Y, J, H, K). The integral field spectrograph, with a range of scales and filters, will achieve good signal-to-noise on 22 - 26 magnitude (AB) point sources with a spectral resolution of R=4,000 in 5 hours of total integration time. We also present simulated 3D IRIS data of resolved high-redshift star forming galaxies (1 < z < 5), illustrating the extraordinary potential of this instrument to probe the dynamics, assembly, and chemical abundances of galaxies in the early universe. With its finest spatial scales, IRIS will be able to study luminous, massive, high-redshift star forming galaxies (star formation rates ~ 10 - 100 M_Θ yr^(-1)) at ~100 pc resolution. Utilizing the coarsest spatial scales, IRIS will be able to observe fainter, less massive high-redshift galaxies, with integrated star formation rates less than 1 MΘsensitivity compared to current integral field spectrographs. The combination of both fine and coarse spatial scales with the diffraction-limit of the TMT will significantly advance our understanding of early galaxy formation processes and their subsequent evolution into presentday galaxies.
Additional Information
© 2010 SPIE The International Society for Optical Engineering. The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the TMT partner institutions. They are the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy (ACURA), the California Institute of Technology and the University of California. This work was supported as well by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, the National Research Council of Canada, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), the U.S. National Science Foundation, and National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). The TMT project is planning to build the telescope facilities on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The authors wish to recognize the significant cultural role and reverence that the summit of Mauna Kea has always had with the indigenous Hawaiian community. We are most fortunate to have the opportunity to conduct research from this "heiau" mountain.Attached Files
Published - 77357P_1.pdf
Submitted - 1007.1975.pdf
Files
| Name | Size | Download all |
|---|---|---|
|
md5:09bc883d9a17a71928f9f18480d2f94f
|
1.3 MB | Preview Download |
|
md5:cf62d7fc8b1f24c2c9de18dd85cfe121
|
1.6 MB | Preview Download |
Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 71832
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20161108-153933467
- Thirty Meter Telescope Project
- Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy (ACURA)
- Caltech
- University of California
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
- Canada Foundation for Innovation
- Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation
- National Research Council of Canada
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
- British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund
- Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)
- NSF
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
- Created
-
2016-11-09Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
-
2021-11-11Created from EPrint's last_modified field
- Caltech groups
- Thirty Meter Telescope
- Series Name
- Proceedings of SPIE
- Series Volume or Issue Number
- 7735