The Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS), mounted on the Subaru Telescope, is now counting down to launch. In parallel to delivering and assembling hardware components, the international team, led by Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU) at The University of Tokyo and including the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), has been continually conducting engineering tests and observations since September 2021. Mounted at the prime focus of the Subaru Telescope, PFS is equipped with about 2400 fibers. With all four fiber cables and all four spectrograph modules now available, it is possible to deliver all ~2400 spectra simultaneously in every exposure. The commissioning process is indeed in the final phase.
Figure 1: All four spectrograph modules in the Subaru Telescope summit facility (Credit: PFS Project and NAOJ)
The PFS team is currently analyzing the data taken during the last engineering observations during March 8-17, 2024, to better understand the various instrument characteristics, such as fiber positioning accuracy and instrument throughput. This will allow the team to improve the data reduction software and validate the observation procedure being developed for open-use science operation.
Figure 2: A snapshot of the control room in the Subaru Telescope summit facility during the engineering observations during March 18-27, 2024. Over 10 team members participated in the engineering observations, including members in the remote observation rooms at the Hiro Base Facility and in Mitaka, Japan; and other members via Zoom. (Credit: PFS Project and NAOJ).
Two more engineering observation runs are scheduled in May and June 2024 as part of continuing preparations aiming to begin open-use science operations with PFS from the S25A semester starting on February 1, 2025.
Guidelines for Use