CRIRES User Manual
Doc. Number: ESO-254264
Doc. Version: P109.4
Issued on:
2021-12-01
Page:
25 of 99
Document Classification: ESO Internal Use [Confidential for Non-ESO Staff]
3.2.3.2 Uranium-Neon Lamp and Fabry Perot Etalon System
The absolute wavelength calibration reference of CRIRES is a Uranium-Neon (UNE) lamp,
which produces a richer emission line spectrum in comparison to the Thorium-Argon hollow
cathode lamp used in the old CRIRES instrument. In addition, CRIRES now offers a Fabry-
Perot etalon, following a recommendation during the design reviews. Such a relative
wavelength calibration device mitigates shortcomings of other devices such as the hollow
cathode lamp.
A Fabry-Perot etalon (or Fabry-Perot interferometer, FPI) can be used to create a periodic
signal in frequency space by means of interference. Each of these fringes serves as a
reference marker to tackle the wavelength calibration. For this purpose, a continuum light
source with a feature free, flat broadband spectrum is coupled to a Fabry-Perot cavity,
where interference is produced (see Figure 18). The choice of cavity length and the
properties of the cavity's windows/mirrors (finesse, F) determine the peak separation (free
spectral range, FSR) and the line strength (sharpness, contrast). The FSR and contrast can
thus be tuned and optimized to match the spectrograph's resolving power, sampling, and
wavelength range.
Any Fabry-Perot etalon produces just relative wavelength values, but not absolute ones.
For this reason, the zero point of the Fabry-Perot etalon needs to be determined by taking
exposures with the UNE lamp right before or after any Fabry-Perot etalon exposure.
Figure 18: Top: 3D Model of the FPI system in the vacuum chamber (cut view). The vessel
layout and gauges are also shown. Bottom: Simplified working proto-type FPI unit.