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arXiv · 1008.1227

Extreme Multiplex Spectrograph: An efficient mechanical design for high-demanding requirements

S. Becerril·K. Meisenheimer·C. M. Dubbeldam·R. Content·R. R. Rohloff·F. Prada·T. Shanks·R. Sharples
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Abstract

XMS is a multi-channel wide-field spectrograph designed for the prime focus of the 3.5m Calar-Alto telescope. The instrument is composed by four quadrants, each of which contains a spectrograph channel. An innovative mechanical design -at concept/preliminary stage- has been implemented to: 1) Minimize the separation between the channels to achieve maximal filling factor; 2) Cope with the very constraining space and mass overall requirements; 3) Achieve very tight alignment tolerances; 4) Provide lens self-centering under large temperature excursions; 5) Provide masks including 4000 slits (edges thinner than 100μ). An overview of this extremely challenging mechanical design is here presented.

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S. Becerril, K. Meisenheimer, C. M. Dubbeldam, R. Content, R. R. Rohloff, F. Prada, T. Shanks, R. Sharples. 2010-08-06. Extreme Multiplex Spectrograph: An efficient mechanical design for high-demanding requirements. https://arxiv.org/abs/1008.1227

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