Fiber-fed multi-object spectrographs have proven to be powerful tools in astronomy, capable of developing large kinematic samples in a fraction of the time required by single-object spectroscopy. The recently commissioned Michigan Magellan Fiber System (M2FS) is a multi-mode, multi-object, fiber-fed optical spectrograph capable of observing up to 256 targets with its 1.2" fibers. By using M2FS’s adjustable slit mechanism with telluric lines as a wavelength reference we have developed an instrument capable of measuring absolute velocities to 25 m/s for up to 256 objects simultaneously. We briefly describe M2FS’s baseline capabilities and then discuss the fiber slit mechanism we created for M2FS. Finally we review our analysis methods, highlighting both the additional calibration opportunities presented by multi-object observations and the effects of atmospheric models on our achieved precision.

Date Published: 28 July 2014
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 9147, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V, 91476P (28 July 2014); doi: 10.1117/12.2055536

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9147:
Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V
Suzanne K. Ramsay; Ian S. McLean; Hideki Takami, Editor(s)