The optical, mechanical, and thermal design and performance of the 2nd generation redshift (z) and early universe spectrometer, ZEUS-2

We have built a new long-slit grating spectrometer (ZEUS-2) for observations in the submillimeter wavelength regime (200-650 μm). ZEUS-2 is optimized for observations of redshifted far-infrared spectral lines from galaxies in the early Universe. The spectrometer employs three transition-edge sensed bolometer arrays, allowing for simultaneous observations of multiple lines in several telluric windows. Here we will discuss the optical, mechanical, and thermal requirements of ZEUS-2 and their subsequent design and performance. The entire instrument is cooled using a pulse tube cryocooler and an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator. The cryogen-free approach enables remote control of the cooling system and allows for deployment of ZEUS-2 to telescope sites where access is limited. The compact and lightweight design is also within the size and weight constraints of several submm telescopes, making ZEUS-2 deployable at a variety of sites. ZEUS-2 completed a successful engineering run at the CSO on Mauna Kea in May 2012, and we plan to have our science-grade array system deployed on the APEX telescope in Chile for a science run in the fall of 2012.

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