An Intensified Reticon Detector For Astronomical Spectroscopy

An IDARSS (Intensified Diode Array Rapid Scan Spectrometer) system has been developed for astronomical spectroscopic observations. The image detector is a Reticon of 1024 pixels in a linear array coupled with a microchannel intensifier through fiber optics, and is cooled down to about -40°C to reduce the thermal noise. The output from the detector is digitized and accumulated in a local memory, and is later sent to the data aquisition system including a mini-computer. The detector system was installed at the coude spectrograph of the 1.88 m reflector of the Okayama Astrophysical Observatory. Various kinds of observations are executed with this system. Observations of radial velocity variation of the Delta Scuti type variable 20 CVn are briefly reported.