LIINUS/SERPIL: a design study for interferometric imaging spectroscopy at the LBT

We present two design concepts and the science drivers of a proposed near-infrared interferometric integral field spectrograph for the LBT. This instrument will expand the capabilities of the currently-under-construction interferometric camera LINC-NIRVANA with spectroscopy by means of an integral field unit (IFU) located inside the LINC cryostat. Two instrument concepts have been studied in detail: a microlens array IFU with a spectrograph built entirely inside LINC (the LIINUS approach), and a lenslet+fibers IFU feeding an external spectrograph (the SERPIL approach). In both cases, the instrument incorporates imaging interferometry with integral field spectroscopy, an ideal combination for detailed studies of astronomical objects down to below 10mas angular resolution in the near-infrared. The scientific applications range from solar system studies and spectroscopy of exoplanets to the dynamics of stars and gas in the central regions of the Milky Way and other nearby galaxies.

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