This is an initial survey putting together some facts and ideas relating to a possible generation of new instruments which could dominate optical astronomy. These instruments will be diffraction-limited spectrographs used on diffraction- limited telescopes. They will enable new research, given some new technical development. The slit area is fundamental. Two cases are distinguished -- a full Airy disk within a larger entrance aperture, and an Airy disk which is truncated by a slit. To demonstrate the feasibility of some relevant optical designs, designs are given for two large diffraction-limited spectrograph cameras. Their good imaging properties could enhance exiting spectrographs. Low resolution instruments may use optics of only a few millimeters aperture, leading to the suggestion of using a number of small spectrographs to map the isoplanatic patch at the full spatial resolution of a telescope.

Date Published: 21 March 1997
PDF: 5 pages
Proc. SPIE 2871, Optical Telescopes of Today and Tomorrow, (21 March 1997);

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2871:
Optical Telescopes of Today and Tomorrow
Arne L. Ardeberg, Editor(s)