Demonstration of on-sky calibration of astronomical spectra using a 25 GHz near-IR laser frequency comb

We describe and characterize a 25 GHz laser frequency comb based on a cavity-filtered erbium fiber mode-locked laser. The comb provides a uniform array of optical frequencies spanning 1450 nm to 1700 nm, and is stabilized by use of a global positioning system referenced atomic clock. This comb was d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Optics express 2012-03, Vol.20 (6), p.6631-6643
Main Authors: Ycas, Gabriel G, Quinlan, Franklyn, Diddams, Scott A, Osterman, Steve, Mahadevan, Suvrath, Redman, Stephen, Terrien, Ryan, Ramsey, Lawrence, Bender, Chad F, Botzer, Brandon, Sigurdsson, Steinn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astronomy - instrumentation
Astronomy - standards
Calibration
Infrared Rays
Internationality
Lasers, Solid-State - standards
Spectrum Analysis - instrumentation
Spectrum Analysis - standards
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Summary:We describe and characterize a 25 GHz laser frequency comb based on a cavity-filtered erbium fiber mode-locked laser. The comb provides a uniform array of optical frequencies spanning 1450 nm to 1700 nm, and is stabilized by use of a global positioning system referenced atomic clock. This comb was deployed at the 9.2 m Hobby-Eberly telescope at the McDonald Observatory where it was used as a radial velocity calibration source for the fiber-fed Pathfinder near-infrared spectrograph. Stellar targets were observed in three echelle orders over four nights, and radial velocity precision of ∼10 m/s (∼6 MHz) was achieved from the comb-calibrated spectra.
ISSN:1094-4087
1094-4087
DOI:10.1364/oe.20.006631