- Public Call
- BATMAN Concept Paper
- GATOS Concept Paper
- GTCMCAO Concept Paper
- MAGAM Concept Paper
- NEREA Concept Paper
Summary
On April 2018, Grantecan opened a call for ideas for the next generation of science instruments for the telescope. By December 2018, we received up to five "Concept papers" for new science instruments for the facility. Those Concept Papers were presented at the conference VI meeting on Science with GTC, where a special session with oral presentations was organized to conduct a general discussion on the different designs described.
On the next table, a summary of the new instruments proposed is given:
| Instrument | GTCAO? | Wavelength range | Observing modes | FOV | Spectral Resolution | Budget | |
| BATMAN | No | 0.36 - 1.0 µm | Imaging Multi-Object Spectroscopy |
2.3 x 1.2 arcmin (DMD-based) 6.0 x 6.0 arcmin (MIRA-based) |
500 - 4000 (for 1-0.2 arcsec slits) |
10 MEUR |
|
| GATOS | No/Yes | 0.37 - 2.35 µm (simultaneous) |
Imaging Long Slit Spectroscopy High time-resolution IFU Spectropolarimetry |
3 x 3 arcmin or 4.2 arcmin (diameter) 3 arcmin long slit 9.7 x 6.8 arcsec IFU 2.5 x 3.6 arcsec IFU (with AO) |
4000 | 9.7 MEUR |
|
| GTCMCAO | Yes (MCAO) |
0.9 - 2.4 µm | Adaptive Optics Facility | 40 x 40 arcsec | - | 4.1 MEUR |
|
| MAGAM | Yes (MCAO) |
0.9 - 2.4 µm | Diffraction limited Imaging | 85 x 85 arcsec | - | 43 MEUR |
|
| NEREA | No/Yes | 0.8 - 1.7 µm | Fiber-fed Spectroscopy |
- | R > 70000 (req.) R = 110,000 (goal) |
4 - 5 MEUR |
Unfortunately, the process was frozen in 2019 because of the lack of commitment of the GRANTECAN funding agencies. We are now in a more favourable position to reactivate this process, and the first step has been the creation of a Working Group composed of international experts. The goal of this Working Group is to help GRANTECAN to define the strategy, in terms of new scientific instrumentation that would enter operation towards the end of this decade, to maintain and enhance the GTC competitivity, in the context of the science drivers from the GTC community, the best qualities of the GTC and its site, the observing capabilities presently available to the GTC community, and the competing capabilities around the world.
The report of the Working Group, received at the end of 2022, is available here.
It sets out options for the development of new instrumentation for the GTC. A decision on the instrument(s) to be developed is expected to be taken on July 2023 by the GTC Steering Committee, based on the recommendations of the Working Group and of the other GTC Advisory Committees. We think that the input of the GTC science community is important at any stage of the process, and we therefore ask you to convey your comments, questions, or recommendations to the GTC Users Committee which will raise them to the GTC director and the Steering Committee.
Last modified: 22 March 2023
