Richard Chou, Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, U of T

Graduate student Chou has developed two designs for a wide integral field infrared spectrograph (WIFIS) that can provide an unprecedented large etendue and comparable spectral resolutions. Called WIFIS1 and WIFIS2, both designs work with an existing integral field unit called FISICA to provide 12″ x 5″ field of view on 10-m telescopes.

WIFIS1 can provide an average spectral resolution of R~5,500 with a spectral coverage in each of JHK bands in a single exposure; WIFIS2 delivers R~3,000 with wider spectral coverage in zJ and H bands. Potential scientific applications of WIFIS include 2-D spectroscopic studies of galaxy mergers, star-forming galaxies, local galaxies, Galactic star-forming regions and supernova remnants.