NIFS System Verification Modes

Here we describe the key modes of NIFS to be tested as part of System Verification (SV). The pool from which verification observations will be drawn is described in the SV plan. This plan contains details of individual observations and describes other aspects of the system which will be tested.

System Verification with NIFS is being coordinated by Tracy Beck, to whom any questions should be addressed.

In total, NIFS has four main modes defined for the SV:

1. Adaptive Optics NIFS+Altair IFU Spectroscopy in the Z, J, H and K-bands
• R~5000 Infrared IFU spectroscopy at Adaptive Optics Spatial resolutions.
• Available Options: NIFS+Altair observations with or without the Altair field lens, and with or without a NIFS OIWFS guide star.
• We anticipate that 3 nights will be available for SV observations in this mode.
2. Non-AO NIFS IFU spectroscopy in the Z, J, H and K-bands
• R~5000 Infrared IFU spectroscopy at seeing-limited spatial resolutions.
• Available Options: NIFS observations using guiding with the Peripheral Wavefront Sensor, PWFS2.
• We anticipate that 1 night will be available for SV observations in this mode.
3. Adaptive Optics NIFS+Altair Coronagraphy in the Z, J, H and K-bands
• R~5000 Infrared IFU spectroscopy at AO resolutions using the 0."2 or 0."5 occulting disks (best performance achieved in the H and K-bands).
• Available Options: NIFS+Altair observations with or without the field lens, and with or without a NIFS OIWFS guide star.
• We anticipate that 2 nights will be available for SV observations in this mode.
4. NOT OFFERED IN THE CURRENT CALL: Adaptive Optics NIFS+Altair+Laser Guide Star (LGS) Spectroscopy in the Z, J, H and K-bands
• R~5000 Infrared IFU spectroscopy at Adaptive Optics Spatial resolutions of targets too faint for conventional natural guide star (NGS) adaptive optics.
• We hope that a call for NIFS+Altair+LGS IFU spectroscopy will be made in the Summer/Fall 2006.

Last update Nov. 2005 by Tracy Beck