23rd Annual Student Research Conference
Fiber Optic Spectroscopy: Converting a Compact Spectrometer for Fiber Optic Use
Brian D. McClain
Dr. Matthew M. Beaky, Faculty Mentor
The study of the spectrum of light emitted from stars, or stellar spectroscopy, is a powerful resource for determining physical and chemical properties of stars. With commonly used slit spectrographs, the light travels directly from the star through the telescope and then into the spectrograph via a small slit aligned with the path of light. This means that they must mounted directly onto a telescope, adding excess weight to the telescope and creating difficulties with aligning the starlight on the slit. By using fiber optics to capture the starlight and direct it to the spectrograph, both of these problems can be eliminated. We have replaced the slit on a homebuilt spectrograph (Stephens, 2007) with a fiber optic input, and connected it to the telescope at the Truman Observatory through a fiber optic cable connection. Examples of spectra acquired with the new fiber optic spectrograph system will be presented.
Keywords: spectrograph, stellar spectrum, fiber optic
Topic(s):Physics
Astronomy
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 3-5
Location: MG 1096
Time: 9:00