Frank Molster

Publications (7)31.2 Total impact

• Source

  Available from: Rainer Lenzen

  Article: Mid-infrared astronomy with the E-ELT: Performance of METIS

  Sarah Kendrew, Laurent Jolissaint, Bernhard Brandl, Rainer Lenzen, Eric Pantin, Alistair Glasse, Joris Blommaert, Lars Venema, Ralf Siebenmorgen, Frank Molster
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  ABSTRACT: We present results of performance modelling for METIS, the Mid-infrared European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) Imager and Spectrograph. Designed by a consortium of NOVA (Netherlands), UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK), MPIA Heidelberg (Germany), CEA Saclay (France) and KU Leuven (Belgium), METIS will cover the atmospheric windows in L, M and N-band and will offer imaging, medium-resolution slit spectroscopy (R~1000-3000) and high-resolution integral field spectroscopy (R~100,000). Our model uses a detailed set of input parameters for site characteristics and atmospheric profiles, optical design, thermal background and the most up-to-date IR detector specifications. We show that METIS will bring an orders-of-magnitude level improvement in sensitivity and resolution over current ground-based IR facilities, bringing mid-IR sensitivities to the micro-Jansky regime. As the only proposed E-ELT instrument to cover this entire spectral region, and the only mid-IR high-resolution integral field unit planned on the ground or in space, METIS will open up a huge discovery space in IR astronomy in the next decade. Comment: 13 pages, submitted to SPIE Proceedings vol. 7735, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III (2010). Simulation code available at http://tinyurl.com/metis-sens
  06/2010;
• Article: Characterization of Exoplanets and Protoplanetary Disks with the proposed E‐ELT Instrument METIS

  Stefan Hippler, Wolfgang Brandner, Thomas Henning, Bernhard R. Brandl, Joris Blommaert, Alistair Glasse, Laurent Jolissaint, Hans Ulrich Käufl, Sarah Kendrew, Rainer Lenzen, Frank Molster, Eric Pantin, Ralf Siebenmorgen, Remko Stuick, Lars Venema
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  ABSTRACT: METIS (the Mid‐infrared E‐ELT Imager and Spectrograph) is a 3‐ to 14‐micron multimode instrument for the 42‐meter European Extremely Large Telescope (E‐ELT). The instrument modes currently under study include direct and coronagraphic imaging, long‐slit spectroscopy, integral field spectroscopy and polarimetry. METIS will be interfaced with the E‐ELT adaptive optics system, and incorporate its own on‐axis natural guide star wavefront sensor, and thus achieve Strehl ratios above 90% in N band. In this paper we will describe two of the main science goals of this instrument: direct imaging of exoplanets as well as the characterization of protoplanetary disks. Because of the superior angular resolution and high contrast, METIS at the E‐ELT will be able to image exoplanets at considerably closer orbits than its cooperative competitor the Mid‐infrared Instrument (MIRI) on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
  AIP Conference Proceedings. 08/2009; 1158(1):333-336.
• Source

  Available from: L. Venema

  Article: METIS - the Mid-infrared E-ELT Imager and Spectrograph

  Bernhard R. Brandl, Rainer Lenzen, Eric Pantin, Alistair Glasse, Joris Blommaert, Lars Venema, Frank Molster, Ralf Siebenmorgen, Hermann Boehnhardt, Ewine van Dishoeck, [......], Wolfgang Brandner, Pierre-Olivier Lagage, Toby J. T. Moore, Maarten Baes, Christoffel Waelkens, Chris Wright, Hans Ulrich Kaeufl, Sarah Kendrew, Remko Stuik, Laurent Jolissaint
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  ABSTRACT: METIS, the Mid-infrared ELT Imager and Spectrograph (formerly called MIDIR), is a proposed instrument for the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), currently undergoing a phase-A study. The study is carried out within the framework of the ESO-sponsored E-ELT instrumentation studies. METIS will be designed to cover the E-ELT science needs at wavelengths longward of 3um, where the thermal background requires different operating schemes. In this paper we discuss the main science drivers from which the instrument baseline has been derived. Specific emphasis has been given to observations that require very high spatial and spectral resolution, which can only be achieved with a ground-based ELT. We also discuss the challenging aspects of background suppression techniques, adaptive optics in the mid-IR, and telescope site considerations. The METIS instrument baseline includes imaging and spectroscopy at the atmospheric L, M, and N bands with a possible extension to Q band imaging. Both coronagraphy and polarimetry are also being considered. However, we note that the concept is still not yet fully consolidated. The METIS studies are being performed by an international consortium with institutes from the Netherlands, Germany, France, United Kingdom, and Belgium. Comment: 15 pages, to be published in Proc SPIE 7014: Ground-based & Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy II
  07/2008;
• Article: Comparison of comet 81P/Wild 2 dust with interplanetary dust from comets.

  Hope A Ishii, John P Bradley, Zu Rong Dai, Miaofang Chi, Anton T Kearsley, Mark J Burchell, Nigel D Browning, Frank Molster
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  ABSTRACT: The Stardust mission returned the first sample of a known outer solar system body, comet 81P/Wild 2, to Earth. The sample was expected to resemble chondritic porous interplanetary dust particles because many, and possibly all, such particles are derived from comets. Here, we report that the most abundant and most recognizable silicate materials in chondritic porous interplanetary dust particles appear to be absent from the returned sample, indicating that indigenous outer nebula material is probably rare in 81P/Wild 2. Instead, the sample resembles chondritic meteorites from the asteroid belt, composed mostly of inner solar nebula materials. This surprising finding emphasizes the petrogenetic continuum between comets and asteroids and elevates the astrophysical importance of stratospheric chondritic porous interplanetary dust particles as a precious source of the most cosmically primitive astromaterials.
  Science 02/2008; 319(5862):447-50. · 31.20 Impact Factor
• Article: Instrument concept and science case for the mid-IR E-ELT imager and spectrograph METIS

  Bernhard R. Brandl, Rainer Lenzen, Eric Pantin, Alistair Glasse, Joris Blommaert, Lars Venema, Frank Molster, Ralf Siebenmorgen, Sarah Kendrew, Maarten Baes, Hermann Böhnhardt, Wolfgang Brandner, Ewine van Dishoeck, Thomas Henning, Hans Ullrich Käufl, Pierre-Olivier Lagage, Toby J. T. Moore, Christoffel Waelkens, Paul van der Werf
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  ABSTRACT: METIS is the &apos;Mid-infrared ELT Imager and Spectrograph&apos;, the only planned thermal/mid-IR instrument for the E-ELT. METIS will provide diffraction limited imaging in the atmospheric L/M and N-band from 3 - 14 μm over an 18"×18" field of view (FOV). The imager also includes high contrast coronagraphy and low-resolution (900 <= R <= 5000) long slit spectroscopy and polarimetry. In addition, an IFU fed, high resolution spectrograph at L/M band will provide a spectral resolution of R ~ 100,000 over a 0.4"×1.5" FOV. The adaptive optics (AO) system is relatively simple, and METIS can reach its full performance with the adaptive correction provided by the telescope - and occasionally even under seeing limited conditions. On a 42m ELT, METIS will provide state-of-the-art mid-IR performance from the ground. The science case for METIS is based on proto-planetary disks, characterization of exoplanets, formation of our Solar System, growth of supermassive black holes, and the dynamics of high-z galaxies. With the focus on highest angular resolution and highest spectral resolution, METIS is highly complementary to JWST and ALMA. This paper summarizes the science case for METIS, and describes the instrument concept, performance and operational aspects.
  McLean, Ian S.; Ramsay, Suzanne K.; Takami, Hideki: Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III, SPIE, 77352G-77352G-16 (2010).
• Article: METIS: System engineering and optical design of the mid-infrared E-ELT instrument

  Rainer Lenzen, Wolfgang Brandner, Thomas Henning, Stefan Hippler, Bernhard R. Brandl, Frank Molster, Ewine van Dishoeck, Paul van der Werf, Sarah Kendrew, Remko Stuik, [......], Christoffel Waelkens, Lars Venema, Rik Ter Horst, Ad Oudenhuysen, Ralf Siebenmorgen, Hans Ulrich Käufl, Hermann Böhnhardt, Toby J. T. Moore, Maarten Baes, Chris Wright
  SPIE, v.7735 (2010).
• Article: METIS: system engineering and optical design of the mid-infrared E-ELT instrument

  Rainer Lenzen, Bernhard R. Brandl, Eric Pantin, Alistair Glasse, Joris Blommaert, Lars Venema, Rik Ter Horst, Ad Oudenhuysen, Frank Molster, Ralf Siebenmorgen, [......], Stefan Hippler, Pierre-Olivier Lagage, Toby J. T. Moore, Maarten Baes, Christoffel Waelkens, Chris Wright, Hans Ulrich Käufl, Sarah Kendrew, Remko Stuik, Laurent Jolissaint
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  ABSTRACT: METIS is a mid-infrared instrument proposed for the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). It is designed to provide imaging and spectroscopic capabilities in the 3μm to 14μm region up to a spectral resolution of 100.000. Here the technical concept of METIS is described which has been developed based on an elaborated science case which is presented elsewhere in this conference. There are five main opto-mechanical modules all integrated into a common cryostat: The fore-optics is re-imaging the telescope focal plane into the cryostat, including a chopper, an optical de-rotator and an un-dispersed pupil stop. The imager module provides diffraction limited direct imaging, low-resolution grism spectroscopy, polarimetry and coronagraphy. The high resolution IFU spectrograph offers a spectral resolution of 100.000 for L- and M-band and optional 50.000 for the N-band. In addition to the WFS integrated into the E-ELT, there is a METIS internal on-axis WFS operating at visual wavelengths. Finally, a cold (and an external warm) calibration unit is providing all kinds of spatial and spectral calibrations capabilities. METIS is planned to be used at one of the direct Nasmyth foci available at the E-ELT. This recently finished Phase-A study carried out within the framework of the ESO sponsored E-ELT instrumentation studies has been performed by an international consortium with institutes from Germany, Netherlands, France, United Kingdom and Belgium.
  McLean, Ian S.; Ramsay, Suzanne K.; Takami, Hideki: Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III, SPIE, 77357O-77357O-12 (2010).