Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer
| Observing mode | NIRSPEC band | Resolving power | Status as of 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-axis direct spectroscopy | y | 35,000 | PI |
| J | 35,000 | PI | |
| H | 35,000 | PI | |
| K | 35,000 | Offered | |
| Off-axis direct spectroscopy | y | 35,000 | PI |
| J | 35,000 | PI | |
| H | 35,000 | PI | |
| K | 35,000 | Offered | |
| Vortex Fiber Nulling | Charge 1 K | 35,000 | PI |
| Charge 2 K | 35,000 | PI | |
| Laser Frequency Comb | H | 35,000 | PI |
The Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer (KPIC) connects the Keck II AO system and the Keck/NIRSPEC high-resolution infrared spectrograph (https://www2.keck.hawaii.edu/inst/nirspec/) via a linear bundle of four single-mode fibers spaced by ~800 mas on the sky. Single-mode fibers provide a more stable quasi-Gaussian line spread function. Their small angular size, matched to the diffraction limit (FWHM~50 mas in K band), also provides excellent sky background rejection, as well as reduces the off-axis starlight injection into the single mode fibers. Currently, KPIC uses the Shack-Hartmann Wavefront Sensor for AO.
KPIC has a spectral resolution of R ~35,000 and utilizes a new K-band filter optimized for KPIC (Kband-new filter of NIRSPEC), covering 1.952 to 2.501 microns. Other bands are available but currently not offered for regular observing. A summary of KPIC's observing mode and their availability is provided in the table above. Offered means TAC allocatable, and PI means the mode is currently only available to the KPIC team in PI mode. If there is any interest in using one of the PI modes, please contact dmawet@astro.caltech.edu.
As of semester 2024B, KPIC's main mode called direct spectroscopy, will be offered to the community (e.g. through the NASA Keck time allocation).
Below are a series of useful documents to help prepare your proposal, operate the instrument (daytime and nighttime), and reduce KPIC data:
Technical description document
The primary science case of KPIC is the spectroscopic characterization of exoplanets at high resolving power. This includes the ability to measure orbital velocities, spins, and molecular compositions. Several examples of science results are described in the publication listed below.
Link to KPIC publications.
Acknowledgements: KPIC is supported by grants from the Heising-Simons Foundation, the Simons Foundation, NSF, JPL, and Caltech.