Abstract
Considerable interest is now focused on the detection of terrestrial mass planets around M dwarfs, and radial velocity surveys with high-resolution spectrographs in the near-infrared (NIR) are expected to be able to discover such planets. We explore the possibility of using commercially available molecular absorption gas cells as a wavelength reference standard for high-resolution fiber-fed spectrographs in the NIR. We consider the relative merits and disadvantages of using such cells compared with thorium-argon emission lamps and conclude that in the astronomical H band, they are a viable method of simultaneous calibration, yielding an acceptable wavelength calibration error for most applications. Four well-characterized and commercially available standard gas cells of H13C14N, 12C2H2, 12CO, and 13CO can together span over 120 nm of the H band, making them suitable for use in astronomical spectrographs. The use of isotopologues of these molecules can increase line densities and wavelength coverage, extending their application to different wavelength regions.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1590-1596 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Astrophysical Journal |
| Volume | 692 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 20 2009 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Space and Planetary Science
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The use of absorption cells as a wavelength reference for precision radial velocity measurements in the near-infrared. / Mahadevan, Suvrath; Ge, Jian.
In: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 692, No. 2, 20.02.2009, p. 1590-1596.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - The use of absorption cells as a wavelength reference for precision radial velocity measurements in the near-infrared
AU - Mahadevan, Suvrath
AU - Ge, Jian
PY - 2009/2/20
Y1 - 2009/2/20
N2 - Considerable interest is now focused on the detection of terrestrial mass planets around M dwarfs, and radial velocity surveys with high-resolution spectrographs in the near-infrared (NIR) are expected to be able to discover such planets. We explore the possibility of using commercially available molecular absorption gas cells as a wavelength reference standard for high-resolution fiber-fed spectrographs in the NIR. We consider the relative merits and disadvantages of using such cells compared with thorium-argon emission lamps and conclude that in the astronomical H band, they are a viable method of simultaneous calibration, yielding an acceptable wavelength calibration error for most applications. Four well-characterized and commercially available standard gas cells of H13C14N, 12C2H2, 12CO, and 13CO can together span over 120 nm of the H band, making them suitable for use in astronomical spectrographs. The use of isotopologues of these molecules can increase line densities and wavelength coverage, extending their application to different wavelength regions.
AB - Considerable interest is now focused on the detection of terrestrial mass planets around M dwarfs, and radial velocity surveys with high-resolution spectrographs in the near-infrared (NIR) are expected to be able to discover such planets. We explore the possibility of using commercially available molecular absorption gas cells as a wavelength reference standard for high-resolution fiber-fed spectrographs in the NIR. We consider the relative merits and disadvantages of using such cells compared with thorium-argon emission lamps and conclude that in the astronomical H band, they are a viable method of simultaneous calibration, yielding an acceptable wavelength calibration error for most applications. Four well-characterized and commercially available standard gas cells of H13C14N, 12C2H2, 12CO, and 13CO can together span over 120 nm of the H band, making them suitable for use in astronomical spectrographs. The use of isotopologues of these molecules can increase line densities and wavelength coverage, extending their application to different wavelength regions.
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U2 - 10.1088/0004-637X/692/2/1590
DO - 10.1088/0004-637X/692/2/1590
M3 - Article
VL - 692
SP - 1590
EP - 1596
JO - Astrophysical Journal
JF - Astrophysical Journal
SN - 0004-637X
IS - 2
ER -