The CTIO InfraRed Spectrometer (IRS)

by

Richard Elston & Brooke Gregory

Rev. 30 Dec 97

Welcome to the CTIO IRS web pages. You can obtain a PostScript version of this manual as well. You really should save bandwidth and time by downloading the gzip'd version instead (don't forget to "shift click"). Even Nick Suntzeff can gunzip. This is a major revision to the IRS manual reflecting the use of the instrument with the new 4m f/14 tip-tilt secondary. Sections regarding the tip-tilt system will likely undergo periodic revision as we use the system more, so watch this space. We have also be working on updating our sensitivity data. You should use this new information to calculate signal-to-noise estimates for observing proposals. If you have questions regarding the IRS you can contact Bob Blum or Brooke Gregory at CTIO (Richard has moved to Florida to take up alligator wrestling).

 

• The CTIO IRS
• Introduction
• Entrance Mirror (RIP)
• Aperture Wheel
• Filter Wheel
• Gratings and their Tilts
• The IRS Cross Dispersed Grating
• General Motor Control
• Calibration Lamps
• Commands for lamps:
• Detector Description
• Observing Efficiency (coadds vs. pics)
• Performance at the Telescope
• Observing Notes
• Acquisition and Guiding
• Tip-tilt Camera
• Offset Guide Probe
• Object Centering
• Initialization of tip-tilt camera stage.
• Centering on objects using imaging mode
• Centering on bright objects using dispersed light
• Centering on objects using crosshair in panoramic mode
• Getting Started With Observing
• The WILDFIRE Software System
• The Windows
• Starting the IR System
• Parameter Sets (ask, eask, ped, plist, psave, puse)
• Observing Words (ask, observe, go, movies)
• Aborting Observations
• The Command Line Editor
• Scripts
• Specific WILDFIRE Commands
• Troubleshooting
• Instrument Problems
• Telescope Problems
• WILDFIRE RESTART PROCEDURES
• INSTRUMENT STATUS WINDOW HAS VANISHED:
• SIMPLE RESTART:
• STALLED SYSTEM RESTART:
• TOTALLY STALLED SYSTEM RESTART:
• RESTART AFTER INSTRUMENT POWER INTERRUPTION:
• RESTART AFTER HEURIKON DSP BOX POWER INTERRUPTION:
• About this document ...