| Issue |
A&A
Volume 672, April 2023
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Article Number | A40 | |
| Number of page(s) | 9 | |
| Section | Astronomical instrumentation | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202245403 | |
| Published online | 28 March 2023 | |
The Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on the James Webb Space Telescope
V. Optimal algorithms for planning multi-object spectroscopic observations★
1
Cosmic Dawn Center, University of Copenhagen,
Rådmandsgade 62,
2200
Copenhagen, Denmark
2
Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen,
Jagtvej 128,
2200
Copenhagen, Denmark
e-mail: nina.bonaventura@nbi.ku.dk
3
European Space Agency, European Space Astronomy Centre, Camino Bajo del Castillo s/n,
Villanueva de la Cañada,
28692
Madrid, Spain
4
Centro de Astrobiologia (CSIC-INTA), Departamento de Astrofisica, Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial
Ctra de Torrejón a, km 4,
28850
Ajalvir, Madrid, Spain
5
ATG Europe for the European Space Agency, European Space Research and Technology Centre,
Keplerlaan 1,
2201 AZ
Noordwijk, The Netherlands
Received:
8
November
2022
Accepted:
7
February
2023
We present an overview of the capabilities and key algorithms employed in the so-called eMPT software suite developed for planning scientifically optimized, multi-object spectroscopic (MOS) observations with the Micro-Shutter Array (MSA) of the Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) instrument on board the James Webb Space Telescope, the first multi-object spectrograph to operate in space. NIRSpec MOS mode is enabled by a programmable MSA, a regular grid of ~250 000 individual apertures that projects to a static, semi-regular pattern of available slits on the sky and makes the planning and optimization of an MSA observation a rather complex task. As such, the eMPT package is offered to the NIRSpec user community as a supplement to the MSA Planning Tool (MPT) included in the STScI Astronomer’s Proposal Tool (APT) to assist in the planning of NIRSpec MOS proposals requiring advanced functionality to meet ambitious science goals. The eMPT produces output that can readily be imported and incorporated into the user’s observing program within the APT to generate a customized MPT MOS observation. Furthermore, its novel algorithms and modular approach make it highly flexible and customizable, providing users the option to finely control the workflow and even insert their own software modules to tune their MSA slit masks to the particular scientific objectives at hand.
Key words: instrumentation: spectrographs / space vehicles: instruments / techniques: spectroscopic
The eMPT software package and its associated user guide are available for download from the ESA GitHub page: https://github.com/esdc-esac-esa-int
© The Authors 2023
Open Access article, published by EDP Sciences, under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This article is published in open access under the Subscribe to Open model. Subscribe to A&A to support open access publication.
Current usage metrics show cumulative count of Article Views (full-text article views including HTML views, PDF and ePub downloads, according to the available data) and Abstracts Views on Vision4Press platform.
Data correspond to usage on the plateform after 2015. The current usage metrics is available 48-96 hours after online publication and is updated daily on week days.
Initial download of the metrics may take a while.