Instrumentation

In 1998 GRANTECAN made an Announcement of Opportunity to select the two First Generation instruments for GTC. In response to this Announcement of Opportunity, and within the requirements, six proposals of scientic instruments were received for developement and installation of the instruments at GTC in 2007. The proposals were presented by groups enclosing scientists from research institutions from all over the world.

The GTC Scientific Advisory Comitee (SAC) selected tree of the proposed instruments as the best candidates to choose two of them as Day One instruments.

Day-One Scientific instruments

GTC have the following Day One instruments: OSIRIS (an optical camera and multi-object spectrograph) and CanariCam (a thermal infrared (IR) camera and spectrograph with polarimetry and coronography capabilities). These two instruments have been developed by consortia formed by several research centers. The consortium that developed OSIRIS was leaded by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), with the participation of the IA-UNAM, IFCA and IAA. CanariCam was built by the Universidad de Florida.

During the first two semesters of scientific operation at the GTC (Semester 2009A and 2009B) OSIRIS is available, while Canaricam will come into operation in Semester 2010A.

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Post-Day-One instrumentation

The next common-user scientific instrument is being built for the GTC: a multi-object spectrograph in the near infrared called EMIR. This is the first of the instruments adopted to be installed in the GTC after the date of Day One, which is also called second-generation instruments. EMIR is being developed by a consortium led by the IAC.

Another second-generation instrument, being developed by the University of Florida, is CIRCE: an infrared camera that will also work in the near-infrared range (1 - 2.5 μ m), which provides the GTC capacity in the IR image before the arrival of EMIR.

FRIDA is another instrument for GTC that is being developed. FRIDA, will make use of the Adaptive Optics system of the GTC, will be able to take pictures in broadband and narrowband. Besides, FRIDA will allow comprehensive field spectroscopy in the spectral range of 0.9 - 2.5 μm. Its development is led by the Universidad Nacional de México UNAM.

Additionally, the SAC proposed a high resolution spectrograph in the optical range as the next scientific instrument to be developed for the GTC. Some of the institutions that form part of the scientific comunity of GTC have expressed their interest to participate in te development of such an instrument.

Currently, multiple proposals of insteresting scientific instruments to be installed as visitor instruments are being received. These proposal are being studied by the coresponding comitees.

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