One step backwards, two steps forward...
June 25, 2018 - Debra Fischer
While working on tasks that included measuring the throughput at key points
in EXPRES, the rectangular fiber that feeds light to our instrument broke. This
glass fiber pipes light from the 4-meter Lowell / Discovery Channel Telescope into
the spectrograph, two stories below. The fiber has a hair-width diameter and is
ultra-fragile. We have spare fibers, but replacement requires opening the vacuum
chamber and it takes a couple of days to connect and align the new fiber. On the up
side, grad student Ryan Blackman identified a bottleneck in the light throughput
that can be improved. Ryan Petersburg used a new microcomb to characterize the
inevitable scattering when light encounters optical lenses and mirrors. Ben Fischer
continued working on the thermal enclosure [1], heavily insulated panels that cover the
aluminum vacuum chamber and help to stabilize the temperature inside EXPRES.
Undergrad Abby Mintz [3] made a stellar debut, covering 10 consecutive nights at
the DCT, a real endurance test. The weather has been spectacular - typical for summer
in Arizona. Abby took the lovely picture at sunset [2]. During the day, the DCT dome
looks like it is sporting a cloaking device as the vivid blue
skies are reflected in the shiny aluminum exterior of the dome [4]. Abby took the
lovely photo of the moon through the dome slit at sunset [5]. When we returned to the
Lodge at 2am, we heard some eerie and slightly scary shreiking sounds [6]. The next
day we googled for sounds made by the likely suspects and confirmed that these were
elk-calls. We also saw several wild turkeys [7] in the early evening who ran away
as I tried to take their pictures.
The Yale exoplanet grad students and postdocs attended the ERES (Emerging Researchers in Exoplanet Science) [8] at Penn State on Jun 24-25, where they heard about progress from our colleagues who are commissioning the Habitable Planet Finder (HPF) spectrograph at McDonald Observatory. Congrats to the Penn State team!
Jun 25, 2018 Slideshow
About Us
The EXPRES team works on the discovery of planets orbiting stars other than our Sun, or exoplanets.
EXPRES is a next generation spectrograph that aims to break the record on current measurement precision with the goal of detecting small, rocky planets - similar to Earth - orbiting nearby stars. The instrument blends high resolution and extraordinary stability to produce the highest fidelity data.
This journey began long ago; our hope is that EXPRES will help humanity to explore the unknowns in the galaxy.
