Astronomical Spectroscopy
Spectroscopic characterisation is a common methodology in astronomical observations, permitting study of the physical properties of various types of celestial objects such as stars, galaxies, planets, nebulae and planets. Spectroscopic detail can yield an abundance of useful information, including chemical composition, temperature, density, mass, distance and relative speed. Such detail can even be used to infer some understanding about that which cannot be directly detected – dark energy! Extremely high-resolution spectroscopy is also used in Radial Velocimetry as a means of exoplanet detection and characterisation.
Wide field spectroscopic surveys often involve hundreds of fibre optics at the telescope focal plane, feeding signal into an advanced high resolution spectrograph, which in turn is coupled to a large area, high resolution CCD detector. For wide field astronomical spectroscopy instruments, Andor strongly recommends the iKon-XL and iKon-L -100 °C thermoelectrically cooled CCDs, yielding maximum SNR and high dynamic range over a wide range of exposure durations. Each is available in standard silicon or deep depletion formats, the latter providing enhanced NIR performance.
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