Paper 13096-31
Paper 13096-31
The First-Light Instrument Suite at TMT: capabilities and status update (Invited Paper)
18 June 2024 • 10:20 - 10:50 Japan Standard Time | Room G401, North - 4F
Abstract
The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is designing three science instruments for first light: IRIS
(InfraRed Imaging Spectrograph), WFOS (Wide Field Optical Spectrograph), and MODHIS (Multi-
Objective Diffraction-limited High-resolution Infrared Spectrograph). We present overviews of
the technical capabilities of each of these instruments and show how those capabilities
translate into meeting key TMT science requirements. Finally, we provide an update on the
design progress of these three instruments.
Presenter
Alastair Heptonstall
Thirty Meter Telescope (United States)
• Dr Heptonstall received his B.Sc. in physics from the University of Glasgow in 2000. He received his Ph.D. in experimental physics working on instrument science for gravitational wave detection in 2004 under the direction of Dr Gianpietro Cagnoli at the Institute for Gravitational Research at the University of Glasgow.
• Dr Heptonstall joined the LIGO gravitational wave research group at California Institute of Technology in 2008 as a postdoctoral research scientist, going on to work there as a laser engineer, and latterly as a staff scientist.
• Dr Heptonstall joined the staff of Thirty Meter Telescope in 2017 as a member of the Optics group before moving in 2022 to join the Instrument team as project manager for the Wide Field Optical Spectrometer.