The E-ELT Instrument Roadmap


RAS Specialist Discussion Meeting

Venue: Royal Astronomical Society, London

Dates: 8th - 9th November 2012

Rationale

SUMMARY

This workshop is timed to raise awareness and prepare the UK community for important decision points in the E-ELT instrument roadmap. Particular emphasis will be placed on the scientific drivers and priorities for the UK community in high-resolution (HIRES) and multi-object spectroscopy (MOS) with the E-ELT.

Appropriately, the meeting will be held at the RAS where, 150 years ago, William Huggins presented the first stellar spectrum ever obtained. The RAS ordinary meeting immediately following this workshop will mark this anniversary.

BACKGROUND

At the end of last year, ESO made the E-ELT Instrument Roadmap public (http://www.eso.org/sci/facilities/eelt/instrumentation/index.html). This sets out the plan for instrumentation for the E-ELT over the next ten years. A first light instrument suite comprising a high-resolution imager and integral field spectrograph have been planned, followed by a mid-infrared instrument. Thereafter, new instruments are roughly spaced by 2-year intervals.

Beyond the first three instruments, a critical decision is due to made on the next spectroscopic instrument. Concepts for a high-resolution spectrograph (HIRES) and a multi-object spectrograph (MOS) will be open to competition. ESO will issue a call for MOS and HIRES instruments in 2013, and will decide on their sequencing in 2015. A further open call for a new instrument is also expected in 2015. The UK community, both from a scientific perspective and in its instrumentation expertise, has a long heritage in spectroscopy both at high-resolution and over wide fields. This RAS discussion meeting will raise awareness of key decision points and will provide a forum in which the UK community can air its views ahead of an ESO E-ELT instrumentation workshop in February 2013.

FORMAT

We plan to have the following sessions:
(a) Invited presentations introducing the E-ELT instrument plan and the first light instrument suite
(b) Contributed talks on the scientific drivers for high-resolution and multi-object spectroscopy
(c) Talks on instrument concepts for HIRES & MOS instruments
(d) Discussion on the scientific & instrumentation priorities for the UK community

Registration and Abstract Submission

Please register your interest in attending this workshop. If you would like to provide an oral or poster contribution to the workshop you can also submit an abstract on the same form. The deadline for abstract submission is 25th September 2012. A preliminary program will be available in early October.

We encourage potential E-ELT users to participate, especially students, postdocs and those new to the project. A limited amount of funding is available to assist UK participants with travel expenses, with preference given to students who are presenting talks or posters. You will be asked if you wish to be considered for a small travel grant on the registration form.

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting,

  Aprajita Verma
  Isobel Hook
  Chris Evans
  Colin Cunningham

More Information on the E-ELT:
   ESO E-ELT pages
   UK E-ELT Project Pages - overview of the UK's role in the project
   Subscribe to the UK E-ELT mailing list at UK-EELT subscribe