The Large Lenslet Array Magellan Spectrograph (LLAMAS) is an Integral Field Spectrograph, an imaging tool by which astronomers extract properties of light, which, after 11 nights of work, was successfully installed on the 6.5-meter Baade telescope at the Carnegie Institution for Science's Las Campanas Observatory, LCO.
LLAMAS was developed by the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, with significant contributions from collaborators at MIT Lincoln Laboratories, NC State University, and LCO. This instrument will deliver 3D spectral images across the entire optical band, and is the second integral-field optical spectrograph on a U.S. telescope in the southern hemisphere, specifically in the Atacama Region of Chile.
The installation of the 1,500 kg LLAMAS was carried out by the MIT team over several months. The team also integrated its cooling lines, electrical service and complex instrument subgrid with the observatory's infrastructure.
“LLAMAS is an integral field spectrograph that uses optical fibers to produce a three-dimensional data cube, recording the intensity of light from astronomical sources at 2,400 positions on the sky and 6,000 individual wavelength channels per fiber,” says Rob Simcoe, Director of the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research and principal investigator of the instrument.
Early observations using LLAMAS, Simcoe adds, included emission-line galaxies, high-redshift quasars, ultracompact binary stars, galaxy clusters and nebulae.
The advanced spectrograph will enable high-precision observations, expanding LCO's ability to study the universe in greater detail.
“This long-awaited, one-of-a-kind instrument will greatly expand opportunities to develop new and cutting-edge research. We at the observatory are excited and happy to be able to offer this instrument to the Magallanes community,” said Leopoldo Infante, Director of LCO.
LLAMAS will be available for use by all astronomers in the Magellan consortium, a collaborative effort of the Carnegie Institution, the University of Arizona, Harvard University, the University of Michigan and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and also by the U.S. community through NOIRLab's competitive night allocation.
The MIT team will return to LCO in late January 2025 to upgrade the hardware for the next observation, which will take place in March 2025.