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arXiv · 1209.2704

Development of a New, Precise Near-infrared Doppler Wavelength Reference: A Fiber Fabry-Perot Interferometer

Samuel Halverson·Suvrath Mahadevan·Lawrence Ramsey·Stephen Redman·Gillian Nave·John C. Wilson·Fred Hearty·Jon Holtzman
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Abstract

We present the ongoing development of a commercially available Micron Optics fiber-Fabry Perot Interferometer as a precise, stable, easy to use, and economic spectrograph reference with the goal of achieving <1 m/s long term stability. Fiber Fabry-Perot interferometers (FFP) create interference patterns by combining light traversing different delay paths. The interference creates a rich spectrum of narrow emission lines, ideal for use as a precise Doppler reference. This fully photonic reference could easily be installed in existing NIR spectrographs, turning high resolution fiber-fed spectrographs into precise Doppler velocimeters. First light results on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III) Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) spectrograph and several tests of major support instruments are also presented. These instruments include a SuperK Photonics fiber supercontinuum laser source and precise temperature controller. A high resolution spectrum obtained using the NIST 2-m Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) is also presented. We find our current temperature control precision of the FFP to be 0.15 mK, corresponding to a theoretical velocity stability of 35 cm/s due to temperature variations of the interferometer cavity.

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Samuel Halverson, Suvrath Mahadevan, Lawrence Ramsey, Stephen Redman, Gillian Nave, John C. Wilson, Fred Hearty, Jon Holtzman. 2012-09-12. Development of a New, Precise Near-infrared Doppler Wavelength Reference: A Fiber Fabry-Perot Interferometer. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.925716

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