US INSTRUMENTS
Except as otherwise noted, links are to Gemini Web pages.
NOAO Visitor Instrument
Phoenix
Phoenix is a cryogenic, long-slit, high-resolution infrared spectrograph that is currently on loan to Gemini South. Phoenix was designed and built at NOAO–Tucson to extend photon-limited, high-resolution spectroscopy in the 1- to 5-micron region of the infrared. The instrument has been offered at Gemini South since 2002A, and was used previously on the 2.1- and 4-m telescopes on Kitt Peak.
Current Instruments Built in the US
NICI
NICI, the Near Infrared Coronagraphic Imager, was built by Mauna Kea InfraRed in Hilo, HI. NICI will provide a 1- to 5-micron infrared coronagraphic imaging capability on the Gemini South telescope. NICI arrived on Cerro Pachón in January 2007 and is currently undergoing commissioning.
GNIRS
GNIRS, the Gemini Near Infra-Red Spectrograph, is a long-slit spectrometer that operates from 1 to 5 microns and offers two plate scales and a range of dispersions. The instrument was designed and built by NOAO–Tucson. GNIRS was delivered to Cerro Pachón in late October 2003 and first offered for science use in 2004B. GNIRS suffered an accident in April 2007 and has since been moved to Hilo, where it is being repaired and readied for use on Gemini North.
T-ReCS
T-ReCS, the Thermal Region Camera and Spectrograph, is a mid-infrared imager and long-slit spectrograph that was built at the University of Florida by Charlie Telesco and his team. T-ReCS was delivered to Gemini South in April 2003 and first offered for science use in 2003B.
NIRI
NIRI, the Near Infra-Red Imager and spectrometer, is a 1- to 5-micron imager with three pixel scales. NIRI was designed and built by Klaus Hodapp and his team at the University of Hawaii. It was delivered to Hilo in May 2000 and first offered in 2001A. However, the 2001A programs were suspended or cancelled because of a flexure problem and the 2001B programs were limited. NIRI was available for science use in 2002A. This was the first Gemini instrument built in the US.
Instruments under Construction in the US
FLAMINGOS-2
FLAMINGOS-2 is a near-infrared, multi-object spectrograph and imager for the Gemini South telescope. FLAMINGOS-2 will cover a 6.1-arcmin-diameter field at the standard Gemini f/16 focus in imaging mode, and will provide multi-object spectra over a 6.1 × 2-arcmin field. It will also provide a multi-object spectroscopic capability for Gemini South’s multi-conjugate adaptive optics system. The University of Florida is building FLAMINGOS-2 under the leadership of Principal Investigator Steve Eikenberry.
GPI
GPI, the Gemini Planet Imager, is being built by a consortium of US and Canadian institutions which include Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), American Museum of Natural History, Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of California-Berkeley, UC-Los Angeles, UC-Santa Cruz, and University de Montreal. The LLNL team, led by Principal Investigator Bruce Macintosh, won the Extreme AO Coronagraph (ExAOC) conceptual design study competition and is now proceeding toward construction of this ambitious instrument. GPI is scheduled to be delivered to Gemini South around the beginning of 2011. GPI will be used to discover and characterize planets around young stars.
Progress Reports History
The history of the US instrumentation program is documented in the NOAO Newsletter. The first articles about the originally-named US Gemini Program (USGP) appeared in the Director’s Office section; the USGP section first appeared in the December 1993 issue. An article that reports the assignment of the original Gemini instruments, “The Gemini Instrumentation Program—The US View,” appeared in the September 1994 issue, and a subsequent related article, “Upcoming Gemini Instruments—The Process,” may be found in the September 1998 issue. The name change to the NOAO Gemini Science Center (NGSC) appeared in the March 2003 issue. Articles reporting the status of the US Gemini/NGSC Instrumentation Program can be found in the recent issues from March 2005 on. Links to these issues are available on the NGSC Web site and older issues are available via the NOAO/NSO Newsletter.
