The High Resolution Double Echelle Spectrograph HIRDES


The High Resolution Double Echelle Spectrograph HIRDES will provide spectra for the study of the wavelength region 110-350 nm with a resolving power R of about 50000 (6 Km/sec on the velocity scale; spectral pixel size: 0.002-0.007 nm). This permits us to carry out deep spectral analysis of the ultraviolet spectra of brighter stars (11-12 mag) and high resolution spectroscopy with lower signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for stars and other objects up to 15-17 mag, including, for example, bright stars in the Magellanic Clouds.

Since the simultaneous measurement of the whole spectral range with such a high spectral resolution would require an array detector of a size and a number of pixels which is not available in the near future, the necessary wavelength range from 110 nm (MgF2 absorption edge) to 350 nm (atmospheric absorption edge) is divided into two parts. For each of these spectral ranges one spectrograph with its own entrance slit is optimized.
Therefore, HIRDES is designed as a compact arrangement of two Echelle spectrographs:

Additionally, for low dispersion spectral observations of faint objects, a low resolution spectrograph is integrated in the UVES mounting of HIRDES:
Return to the Introduction
Return to the Stellar Physics Mainpage
suv@aip.de - T. Bloecker - 05. Feb. 1996