The Gemini–North Multi‐Object Spectrograph: Performance in Imaging, Long‐Slit, and Multi‐Object Spectroscopic Modes

By I. Hook, I. Jørgensen, J. Allington-Smith, Roger Davies, N. Metcalfe, R. Murowinski, D. Crampton. 2004

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Results of the commissioning of the first Gemini Multi‐Object Spectrograph (GMOS) are described. GMOS and the Gemini–North telescope act as a complete system to exploit a large 8 m aperture with improved image quality. Key GMOS design features such as the on‐instrument wave‐front sensor (OIWFS) and active flexure compensation system maintain very high image quality and stability, allowing precision observations of many targets simultaneously while reducing the need for frequent recalibration and reacquisition of targets. In this paper, example observations in imaging, long‐slit, and multiobject spectroscopic modes are presented and verified by comparison with data from the literature. The expected high throughput of GMOS is confirmed from standard star observations; it peaks at about 60% when imaging in the r′ and i′ bands, and at 45%–50% in spectroscopic mode at 6300 Å. Deep GMOS photometry in the g′, r′, and i′ filters is compared to data from the literature, and the uniformity of this photometry across the GMOS field is verified. The multiobject spectroscopic mode is demonstrated by observations of the galaxy cluster A383. Centering of objects in the multislit mask was achieved to an rms accuracy of 80 mas across the 5 .′5 field, and an optimized setup procedure (now in regular use) improves this to better than 50 mas. Stability during these observations was high, as expected: the average shift between object and slit positions was 5.3 mas hr−1, and the wavelength scale drifted by only 0.1 Å hr−1 (in a setup with spectral resolution of 6 Å). Finally, the current status of GMOS on Gemini–North is summarized, and future plans are outlined.

Subfields: Astronomy and Astrophysics, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, Instrumentation

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Citations in the corpus

THE MULTIPHASE STRUCTURE AND POWER SOURCES OF GALACTIC WINDS IN MAJOR MERGERS (2013, methodology): “The galaxies in our study were observed with the Integral Field Unit in the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS; Allington-Smith et al. 2002; Hook et al. 2004) on the Gemini North telescope.”
HYDROGEN-POOR SUPERLUMINOUS SUPERNOVAE AND LONG-DURATION GAMMA-RAY BURSTS HAVE SIMILAR HOST GALAXIES (2013, methodology): “…follow-up, using the Blue Channel spectrograph on the 6.5 m MMT telescope (Schmidt et al. 1989), the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS; Hook et al. 2004) on the 8 m Gemini telescopes, and the Low Dispersion Survey Spectrograph (LDSS3) and InamoriMagellan Areal Camera and Spectrograph…”
The Complete Light-curve Sample of Spectroscopically Confirmed SNe Ia from Pan-STARRS1 and Cosmological Constraints from the Combined Pantheon Sample (2017, background): “…Blue Channel Spectrograph (Schmidt et al. 1989) and Hectospec (Fabricant et al. 2005) on the 6.5 m MMT, the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrographs (GMOS; Hook et al. 2004) on both Gemini North and South, the Low Dispersion Survey Spectrograph-3 (LDSS323) and the Magellan Echellette (MagE; Marshall et…”
The Giant Gemini GMOS survey of zem > 4.4 quasars – I. Measuring the mean free path across cosmic time (2014, methodology): “Therefore, we initiated a programme on the Gemini North and South telescopes with the GMOSs (Hook et al. 2004) to observe over 150 quasars at zem > 4.4.”
Swift J1112.2−8238: a candidate relativistic tidal disruption flare (2015, methodology): “…(b > 22.0 mag, Krimm et al. 2011) made at the beginning of the X-ray monitoring programme, we obtained observations in the i′ band with the Gemini Multiple Object Spectrograph on Gemini South (GMOS-S, Hook et al. 2004) at 2011 July 3 ut 00:58, 17 days after initial trigger (Berger & Chornock 2011).”
GRAVITATIONAL LENS MODELS BASED ON SUBMILLIMETER ARRAY IMAGING OF HERSCHEL-SELECTED STRONGLY LENSED SUB-MILLIMETER GALAXIES AT z > 1.5 (2013, methodology): “Gemini-South Optical Spectroscopy Long-slit spectroscopic observations using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph-South (GMOS-S; Hook et al. 2004) were conducted in queue mode during the 2012A semester as part of program GS-2012A-Q-52 (PI: R. S. Bussmann) and provided data on H-ATLAS J090740.”
H0LiCOW – I. H0 Lenses in COSMOGRAIL's wellspring: program overview (2016, background): “…Imaging Spectrometer; Oke et al. 1995; Rockosi et al. 2010), ESI (Echellete Spectrograph and Imager; Sheinis et al. 2002), VLT (Very Large Telescope), FORS2 (FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph; Appenzeller et al. 1998), and GMOS (Gemini Multi-Object Spectrographs; Hook et al. 2004).”
Great Optically Luminous Dropout Research Using Subaru HSC (GOLDRUSH). I. UV Luminosity Functions at $z \sim 4-7$ Derived with the Half-Million Dropouts on the 100 deg$^2$ Sky (2017, methodology): “Note that we have also been awarded observing time with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrographs (GMOS; Hook et al. 2004) on the Gemini South telescope (PI: M. Sawicki), but at the time of writing this paper, no useful data had yet been ob- tained from this program.”
Four Quasars above Redshift 6 Discovered by the Canada-France High-z Quasar Survey (2007, methodology): “Spectroscopy Optical spectroscopy of candidate quasars was carried out using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS; Hook et al. 2004) at the Gemini South Telescope and the Marcario FIG.”
MEETING THE COOL NEIGHBORS. X. ULTRACOOL DWARFS FROM THE 2MASS ALL-SKY DATA RELEASE (2008, methodology): “The Gemini Multi- Object Spectrometer (Hook et al., 2004) was used on Gemini North (GN) and South (GS) during queue observations taken between August 2004 and November 2005 (Program IDs: GN-2004BQ-10, GS-2004B-Q-30, GN-2005B-Q-20, GS-2005B-Q-21).”
H0LiCOW - IV. Lens mass model of HE 0435-1223 and blind measurement of its time-delay distance for cosmology (2016, background): “…of Keck/LRIS, the Focal Reducer/low-dispersion Spectrograph 2 (FORS2; Appenzeller et al. 1998) on the Very Large Telescope (VLT), and the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS; Hook et al. 2004), and are combined with existing spectroscopic observations of this field (Momcheva et al. 2006, 2015).”
A New Population of High-Redshift Short-Duration Gamma-Ray Bursts (2006, neutral): “…GN-2005B-Q-6, GN-2006A-Q-14, GN-2006B-Q-21, GS-2006A-Q-8, 3 We further undertook spectroscopic observations17 of the putative host with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS; Hook et al. 2004) mounted on the GeminiSouth 8-m telescope on four consecutive nights beginning on 2006 Dec. 20.04 UT.”
Combined strong and weak lensing analysis of 28 clusters from the Sloan Giant Arcs Survey (2011, methodology): “We are conducting massive spectroscopic follow-up observations of these new giant arcs with the Gemini MultiObject Spectrograph (GMOS; Hook et al. 2004) to measure redshifts for the newly discovered arcs as well as redshifts for the lensing clusters.”
TRANSMISSION SPECTROSCOPY OF THE HOT JUPITER WASP-12b FROM 0.7 TO 5 μm (2013, methodology): “The Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS, Hook et al. 2004) monitored the transits on two consecutive nights in January 2012.”
Quasars Probing Quasars. I. Optically Thick Absorbers near Luminous Quasars (2006, methodology): “The Gemini data were taken with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS; Hook et al. 2004) on the Gemini North facility.”
Closing in on a Short-Hard Burst Progenitor: Constraints from Early-Time Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy of a Possible Host Galaxy of GRB 050509b (2005, methodology): “Spectroscopic observations of G1, S1, S2, and 2 unidentified sources were obtained with the GMOS spectrometer (Hook et al. 2004) on the Gemini North 8 m telescope beginning at 10.27 May 2005 under photometric conditions.”
CORE-COLLAPSE SUPERNOVAE FROM THE PALOMAR TRANSIENT FACTORY: INDICATIONS FOR A DIFFERENT POPULATION IN DWARF GALAXIES (2010, methodology): “…Herschel 4.2m telescope, the Kast spectrograph (Miller & Stone 1993) mounted on the Shane 3m telescope, the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS; Hook et al. 2004) mounted on the Gemini North 8m telescope, or the X-Shooter spectrograph (D’Odorico et al. 2006) mounted on the Kueyen 8.2m unit of…”