Below are links to current and planned Keck facility instruments and visiting
instruments, plus related items. When publishing a paper involving Keck data,
please see these notes for information
about proper acknowledgement of the observatory and instrument teams.
The instrument masters are the WMKO Support Astronomers.
A table of the primary and secondary masters for each insrtrument is given
here.
Current Instruments
The following instruments have been commissioned and are currently available
for use on the Keck telescopes. For information on which instruments will be
available in the near future, proposers should see
this page.
- Adaptive Optics (AO)
- Both Keck telescopes are equipped with Natural Guide Star AO (NGS-AO)
facilities at their left Nasmyth foci. During Keck Interferometer V2
or Nuller science and engineering nights, both the Keck I and Keck II
AO systems are used to feed an AO-corrected light beam to the interferometer
recombiner.
- The Laser Guide Star AO (LGS-AO) facility is available on Keck II
for a maximum of 50 nights/semester (science and engineering).
- The Keck II AO system is currently used in either NGS-AO and LGS-AO
mode with NIRC2, OSIRIS about 70
nights per semester. As of March 06, we anticipate offering K2AO with NIRSPEC
(moved to the left Nasmyth position) about 5 nights per semester (NGS-AO
or LGS-AO mode).
- Principal Investigator: P. Wizinowich (WMKO)
- CARA Contact: D. Le Mignant or contact the OSIRIS, NIRC2,
NIRSPAO contact person.
- Commissioned: 1999 (Keck II-NGS), 2001 (Keck I-NGS), 2004
(Keck II-LGS)
- References: Please see here
- Adaptive Optics/Near Infrared Spectrometer
(AO/NIRSPEC)
- NIRSPEC is currently available for use behind the Keck II Adaptive Optics
system.
- CARA Contact: J. Lyke
- Commissioned: 2000
- DEep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph (DEIMOS)
- DEIMOS is a general-purpose, faint-object, multi-slit, visible-wavelength
imaging spectrograph to reside at the Nasmyth focus on Keck II. DEIMOS
features wide spectral coverage (up to 5000 Å per exposure), high spectral
resolution (down to ~1 Å), high throughput, and relatively wide field
of view (81.5 arcmin² field). Although designed as a dual-beam
instrument, it will be offer one active beam usable in three observing modes:
direct imaging, long-slit, and multi-slit spectroscopy.
- Principal Investigator: S. M. Faber (UCO/Lick)
- CARA Contact: G. Wirth
- Commissioned: 2002
- Echellette Spectrograph and Imager (ESI)
- ESI is primarily a Cassegrain echellette spectrograph with additional
imaging and low-dispersion modes. In echellette mode ten orders cover the
entire spectrum from 3900 Å to 1.1 microns with ~30-50 km/sec resolution.
In low-dispersion mode the same wavelength range is covered with resolution
varying from R=6000 at 3900 Å to R=1000 at 1.1 microns, with high throughput.
An active flexure compensation reduces apparent flexure of the spectra to
less than a pixel for the most extreme conditions. In imaging mode the field
of view is as large as 2x8 arcmin, although the facility BVRI filters cover
only 2x3.5 arcmin.
- High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer
(HIRES)
- HIRES is a visible-wavelength in-plane echelle spectrograph with grating
cross dispersion, capable of achieving resolutions of R=30,000-80,000. It
features a 3-chip mosaic of MIT-LL CCDs sensitive over the 3,000-10,000 Å
range and capturing a spectral span of a full octave Å per exposure.
An image rotator allows any desired position angle to be used. Both red-
and blue-optimized cross-dispersers are available. HIRES resides at the
Nasmyth focus on Keck I.
- Principal Investigator: S. Vogt (UCO/Lick)
- CARA Contact: G. Hill
- Commissioned: 1994
- Reference: Vogt, S. S., et al. 1994, Proc. SPIE,
2198, 362
- Interferometer
(IF)
- The visibility science mode of the Keck Interferometer is currently available
for general science observing. This mode combines the two Keck telescopes.
The observing parameters for the Interferometer can be found at the Michelson
Science Center Homepage. Future Keck-Keck modes under development include
nulling and differential phase.
- Principal Investigator: M. Colavita (JPL), R. Akeson (MSC),
P. Wizinowich (Keck)
- CARA Contact: J. Gathright
- Commissioned: 2004 (Visibility science mode)
- Interferometer Reference: M. Colavita, P. Wizinowich, R. Akeson,
"Keck Interferometer status and update," SPIE Proc. 5491 (2004).
- Visibility Reference: P. Wizinowich et al., "Visibility science
operations with the Keck Interferometer," SPIE Proc. 5491 (2004).
- Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (LRIS)
- LRIS is a dual-beam UV-to-near-IR spectrometer and imager designed for
observations of very faint targets, featuring highly efficient optics with
up to 34% total throughput. LRIS offers longslit and multislit spectroscopic
capability at resolution of R=300-5,000 plus imaging over a 6×8 arcmin
field. The grating/grism, focal plane mask, and filters may be changed during
the night to permit flexible reconfiguration for different observing modes.
A blue channel added in 2000 allows simultaneous spectroscopy from the atmospheric
cutoff at 3100 Å out to 1 µm. LRIS currently features a
Tektronix 2048² CCD detector on the red arm, and a two-CCD mosaic from
Marconi on the blue arm. LRIS operates at the Cassegrain focus on Keck I.
- Principal Investigators: LRIS-R J. Cohen
& J. B. Oke (Caltech); LRIS-B C. Steidel
(Celtech)
- CARA Contact: P. Amico
- Commissioned: LRIS-R 1994; LRIS-B
2000
- Reference: Oke,
J. B., et al. 1995, PASP, 107, 375 (red side)
- Near Infrared Camera (NIRC)
- NIRC offers imaging and spectroscopic capability over the 1-5 µm
range from the forward Cassegrain focus on Keck I. With its Hughes/SBRC
256² InSb detector array NIRC offers a 38×38 arcsec field of
view and resolution of about R=100 for spectroscopy. Special observing modes
now available include speckle mode for high-resolution imaging plus chopping
and chop-nod modes for observations redward of K.
- Principal Investigator: K. Matthews (Caltech)
- CARA Contact: M. Kassis
- Commissioned: 1994
- Reference: Matthews, K., & Soifer, B. T. 1994, in
Infrared Astronomy with Arrays: the Next Generation, ed. I. McLean
(Dordrecht: Kluwer), 239
- Near Infrared Camera 2 (NIRC-2)
- NIRC-2 is a near-infrared camera intended to provide high-resolution
imaging in conjunction with the adaptive optics system on the Keck II
telescope. The instrument features a Boeing 1024² Aladdin-3 InSb detector,
providing diffraction-limited imaging in the J, H, and K passbands (1-5 µm
range) with sensitivity between 5 and 10 times that of NIRC-1. Three cameras
are available, providing fields-of-view measuring 10, 20, and 40 arcseconds;
these correspond to the diffraction limit for imaging at 1, 2, and 4 µm,
respectively. The instrument also provides coronagraphic imaging and diffraction-limited
spectroscopy over the 1-5 µm range at R=5000.
- Principal Investigator: K. Matthews (Caltech)
- CARA Contact: R. Campbell
- Availability: shared-risk basis for spectroscopy and coronography;
imaging on regular science basis
- Near Infrared Spectrometer (NIRSPEC)
- NIRSPEC is a near-infrared cross-dispersed echelle grating spectrometer
capable of operation at either the Right Nasmyth focus on Keck II (uncorrected)
or the Left Nasmyth focus on Keck II (with Adaptive Optics correction).
It features a 1024² Aladdin-3 InSb detector array and provides spectroscopy
at resolutions of R=2,000 or 25,000 over the 1-5 µm wavelength
range. It includes a 256² HgCdTe slit-viewing camera that provides
images of the slit plane over the 1-2.5 µm range.
- Principal Investigator: I. McLean (UCLA)
- CARA Contact: J. Lyke
- Commissioned: August 1999
- Reference: McLean, I. S., et al., 1998, Proc. SPIE, 3354,
566
-
- OH Suppressing InfraRed
Integeral-field Spectrograph (OSIRIS)
- OSIRIS is a near-infrared integral field spectrograph
designed for the Keck Adaptive Optics System.The instrument uses a lenslet
array to sample a small rectangular patch of the sky at resolutions approaching
the diffraction limit of the 10-meter Keck Telescope. OSIRIS will provide
moderate spectral resolution (R~3800), and full broadband (z, J, H, and
K) spectral coverage at over 1000 spatial locations in the AO-corrected
field. The integral field design makes optimal use of new large-format (2048x2048)
infrared arrays, and is well matched to the compact nature of AO targets.The
spectral resolution achieved is high enough to isolate background OH emission
lines. Due to the extremely low backgrounds at AO resolutions and between
OH sky lines, OSIRIS will reach point source sensitivities roughly 10 times
fainter than the current infrared spectrograph on the Keck telescope. By
summing spectral channels uncontaminated with OH emission, OSIRIS will also
produce very deep near infrared images.
- Principal Investigator: J. Larkin (UCLA)
- CARA Contact: R. Campbell
- Availability: shared-risk basis for spectroscopy and imaging
for regular science with both LGS and NGS AO
-
- Visiting Instruments
- Several instruments developed by outside groups are occasionally available
on the Keck telescopes, including the astrometric cameras MAPS and STEPS
and the mid-infrared cameras MIRLIN and OSCIR.
Future Instruments
The following instruments are planned but not yet available for observing.
- SHARC - Simple High
Angular Resolution Camera
- NOTE: SHARC will not be availble for science observations. It will
be used exclusively for AO engineering including development of the
Next Generation Wavefron Controller and the commissioning of the Keck
I LGSAO system.
Decommissioned Instruments
The following instruments were decommissioned and are no longer supported.
Long Wavelength Spectrometer (LWS)
LWS is a mid-infrared instrument offering imaging plus low- and moderate-resolution
spectroscopy from the forward Cassegrain focus on Keck I. It features
a Boeing 128² As:Si BIB array allowing imaging within an 10.2×10.2
arcsec field and spectroscopy at R=100 or 1400 over the 3-25 µm
range. Chopping and chop/nod observing modes are both available.
- Principal Investigator: B. Jones (UCSD)
- CARA Contact: M. Kassis
- Commissioned: 1999
- Reference: Jones, B., & Puetter, R. 1993, Proc. SPIE, 1946,
610
Instrument-Related Topics
- Policy on Mainland Observing
- Describes the current status of and procedures for carrying out Keck
observing programs from the U.S. mainland.
- Instruments Available for Next
Semester
- Proposers should see this page for information on which Keck instruments
are available for the upcoming semester.
- Contacting Instrument Specialists
- Instructions for getting in touch with your support specialist.
- Guiders
- Information on the CCD guide cameras in use on Keck instruments.
- Choppers
- Instructions for using the chopping secondary mirrors available on
both Keck I and II for infrared imaging and spectroscopy.
- MAlign
- Directions for developing a mirror alignment (MAlign) procedure for
a new facility instrument.
- Instructions to Authors
- Information on proper acknowledgement of observatory and instrument
teams in publications involving Keck data.
- Summit
Instrument Activity Schedule
Go to: Keck Home Page
