with a resolution of R ~ 4,000, simultane-
ously covering the range between 0.37–2.35
microns.
The eight independent channels in OCTO-
CAM allow the user to adjust exposure times
in each bandpass for increased efficiency
and the best match to observing conditions.
By using state of the art detectors — frame
transfer in the optical and CMOS (comple-
mentary metal-oxide semiconductor) in the
near-infrared (NIR) — OCTOCAM will have
negligible readout times enabling high
time-resolution observations. Table 1 pro-
vides a subset of the top-level requirements
for OCTOCAM:
centaurs in the Solar System (Figure 2), exo-
planets, neutron stars, X-ray binaries, active
galactic nuclei, supernovae, tidal disruption
events, and gamma-ray bursts.
OCTOCAM’s multi-wavelength spectroscopy
(and the possibility for simultaneous multi-
band imaging) makes it the optimal machine
for the efficient characterization of astronom-
ical transients — similar to those expected to
be discovered in the 2020s by LSST, which
promises to play a leading role in advancing
our understanding of these objects identi-
fied through their explosive variability. The
availability of high time-resolution, coupled
with Gemini’s rapid response capability, will
OCTOCAM Requirements
Parameter
Spectrographic Value
Wavelength Range
Simultaneous Coverage
Continuous Coverage
Resolving Power (λ/Δλ) Spatial Sampling 0.37 to 2.3 μm
Yes
Yes, excluding atmospheric bands
≥3500 (@455 nm) and ≥4000 (@610, 745, 875, 1035, 1250, 1630, 2175 nm)
assuming a slit width of 0.54”
0.18 ±0.02” in all bands
Natural Seeing FOV
Spatial Sampling ≥ 170” x 170”
0.18 ± 0.02” in all bands
Instrument Throughput
(ADC through detector) Average > 20% (@400) and >35% (@455, 610, 745, 875, 1035, 1250, 1630,
2175 nm) in imaging
Average > 20% (@400) and >30% (@455, 610, 745, 875, 1035, 1250, 1630,
2175 nm) in spectroscopy
≤ 50ms (for a 30 x 30 pixel window @50 kHz) in the g-, r-, i-, and z-band
≤ 50ms (@10 MHz) in the Y-, J-, H-, and K S -band
Integration time + 10s (for automatic target acquisition and grism/slit setup)
Imaging
Performance
Photometric Time
Resolution
Target Acquisition Time
OCTOCAM Science Cases
A capable instrument for extremely broad-
band observations (both in imaging and
long-slit spectroscopy), OCTOCAM will de-
liver groundbreaking scientific output over
a very broad range of topics that cover fields
as diverse as trans-Neptunian objects and
16
GeminiFocus
also allow researchers to use OCTOCAM to
catch transient objects in their earliest phas-
es and monitor their rapid evolution.
Spectral coverage from the optical to NIR,
both in imaging and spectroscopy, is cru-
cial for high-redshift sources in general, and
high-redshift transients in particular. With
April 2017