Re: Subject: RE: ATM fiber optics

["Alexander Urban" <urban@mpe.mpg.de>]

The fiber optics are indeed a suitable tool to do spectroskopy. A group in
our institute are developing such a device for the near infrared. But as you
said, it isn't that easy. You need lightcones to gather all the light, and
you need suitable fiber optics. Our people's problem are the fiber optics.
(Well, that in the near infraed, perhaps it is more easy in the visible)
Alex

--

Alexander Urban                                  Phone: +49-89-3299-3832
MPI fuer extraterrestrische Physik     Fax:       +49-89-3299-3292
P.O. Box 1603                                     E-mail:  urban@mpe.mpg.de
Giessenbachstrasse
D-85740 Garching, Germany




>
>
>I saw a UK TV program (The Sky At Night) a while back, that showed
>professional astronomers doing spectroscopy using fiber optics which are
>held in a precisely machine plate which goes at the focal plane of the
>telescope. The plate is made so that small holes that hold the fibers
>are in precise alignment with the objects they want to take spectra
>from. The fibers then go off to a spectroscope somewhere. This allows
>them to take hundreds of spectra at the same time.
>
>Sounds pretty hard to determine the pattern to drill out, and precision
>is needed to make it.
>
>Any amateurs thought of doing this ?
>
>Having seen the fiber optic spectroscope in last months Sky & Telescope
>it looks like a neat idea, though i'm not sure of the attenuation of the
>fiber optic. I've been thinking about building one to try out as a
>background project (need to do a lot of investigation first). Anyone
>else tried making their own ?
>
>Bye for now,
>
>Callum
>
>
>