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Time domain science with the FLOYDS robotic spectrographs

I will discuss the twin FLOYDS robotic spectrographs, operating at the 2m Faulkes Telescopes North and South as part of the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network.  The FLOYDS instruments were designed with supernova classification and monitoring in mind, with a very large wavelength range (~320 to 1000 nm) and a resolution (R~300-500) well-matched to the broad features of these and other time domain events.  Robotic acquisition of spectroscopic targets is the key ingredient for making robotic spectroscopy possible, and FLOYDS uses a slit-viewing camera with a ~4’x6′ field to automatically place science targets into the slit.  I will discuss the FLOYDS instruments, their current status, and first science results.  Looking ahead, I plan two large science programs with FLOYDS (as part of approved key projects); 1) a one-day cadence supernova search directly tied to FLOYDS for same-night spectroscopic follow-up and 2) a long duration AGN reverberation mapping campaign to measure black hole masses at intermediate and high redshift.  Both will be briefly outlined.

Cody Hall

David Sand (Taxas Tech)

April 04, 2014
14:00 - 15:00