In the ten years since the converted 6.5m MMT was dedicated the observatory has built up an impressive
suite of instrumentation to compliment the three interchangeable secondary mirrors. This review paper
presents an up-to-date perspective on all the capabilities of our full range of instrumentation, highlighting
newly commissioned instruments (the MMT and Magellan InfraRed Spectrograph (MMIRS), an infrared
spectrograph) and new modes or upgrades for established instruments (such as; Red Channel, the MMT's
workhorse spectrograph, Hectochelle, an optical fiber-fed, multi-object spectrograph and the AO
instruments CLIO, a 5 micron camera and BLINC, a mid-infrared camera). The MMT's pioneering
adaptive secondary mirror can be used with both natural guide stars (NGS) or with a Rayleigh laser guide
star (LGS) system. The LGS has recently demonstrated wide-field partial compensation with ground layer
adaptive optics and here we present progress to date. Finally, we report on the start of a project to
investigate how the instrument suite has contributed to the science productivity the MMT over the last 10
years.
The converted 6.5m MMT Observatory has a powerful suite of new instrumentation accumulated over the last eight
years. Pre-conversion instruments still in use at the f/9 Cassegrain focus are the facility Red and Blue Channel
spectrographs (R = 240 - 6600) and the visiting spectropolarimeter (SPOL). Instruments using the f/5 spectroscopic
configuration are the bench mounted 300-fiber spectrographs Hectospec (R=1000) and Hectochelle (R=30,000), and the
single slit, cross-dispersed spectrograph MAESTRO (R=28,000 - 93,000). The f/5 imaging configuration offers
Megacam, a 24' x 24' CCD mosaic camera and SWIRC, a YJH NIR imager. The MMT's pioneering f/15 adaptive
secondary mirror enables high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy in the infrared with the ARIES, CLIO, PISCES and
BLINC/MIRAC instruments. The AO system will shortly be significantly enhanced with the addition of a Rayleigh laser
guide star system which is currently being commissioned. Upcoming instrumentation will include slit mask
spectrographs in the infrared (MMIRS) and optical (BINOSPEC). This review paper presents all the available
instruments capabilities and demonstrates how the observatory has become highly efficient at managing multiple
secondary mirrors and a large instrument suite.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.