SAMOS: A New Multi-Object Spectrograph for the SOAR Observatory


Thursday, 30 May 2024 1 p.m. — 2 p.m. MST

AURA Lecture Hall

NOIRLab South Colloquia
Dana Koeppe (Postdoctoral Fellow at John Hopkins University)

The SOAR Adaptive-optics Multi-Object Spectrograph, SAMOS, is a new and versatile spectrograph and imager built for the SOAR Observatory at Cerro Pachon.  The main feature of SAMOS is its slit selection mechanism which uses a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD).  The DMD consists of an array of mirrors which direct light towards the SAMOS spectrograph or the imager and enables the observer to create new slit patterns with the simple click of a mouse.  To work well with the SOAR Adaptive-optics system, SAMOS is designed to allow slit widths down to 0.33” with a spectral range of 3,500-9,500 angstroms.  In this talk, I will provide an overview of SAMOS and its capabilities, as well as updates from our recent post-delivery functional testing and first light engineering run at SOAR.