KSPEC - A NEAR-INFRARED CROSS-DISPERSED SPECTROGRAPH

KSPEC (K-band spectrograph) is an infrared spectrograph designed prima rily for spectroscopy in the 2.0-2.5 mu m region. It offers two differ ent optical configurations. The first is a cross-dispersed echelle mod e designed to cover the atmospheric windows from 1-2.5 mu m in one spe ctral frame of a 256X256 format on a NICMOS-3 HgCdTe detector array. T his configuration of the spectrograph provides medium spectral resolut ion (lambda/Delta lambda approximate to 500) for spectral classificati on work, emission-line detection, and redshift measurements. Alternati vely, KSPEC can be equipped with a different spectrograph camera, givi ng a long-slit, single-order spectrum from 2.05-2.35 mu m. The instrum ent uses a second NICMOS-3 infrared detector array for slit viewing, t o facilitate the acquisition of optically invisible objects, to docume nt the slit position, and to monitor it during long spectroscopic inte grations. KSPEC does not contain any moving components, making it a ve ry reliable, relatively low-cost instrument that is easy to use.