title: High-resolution, flat-field, plane-grating, f/10 spectrograph with off-axis parabolic mirrors.
abstract: A high-resolution, flat-field, plane-grating, f/10 spectrometer based on the novel design proposed by Gil and Simon [Appl. Opt. 22, 152 (1983)] is demonstrated. The spectrometer design employs off-axis parabolic collimation and camera mirrors in a configuration that eliminates spherical aberrations and minimizes astigmatism, coma, and field curvature in the image plane. In accordance with theoretical analysis, the performance of this spectrometer achieves a high spatial resolution over the large detection area, which is shown to be limited only by the quality of its optics and their proper alignment within the spatial resolution of a 13 microm x 13 microm pixelated CCD detector. With a 1500 lines/mm grating in first order, the measured spectral resolving power of lambda/Dlambda = 2.5(+/-0.5) x 10(4) allows the clear resolution of the violet Ar(I) doublet at 419.07 and 419.10 nm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics (M/C 273), University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60607-7059, USA. sschie3@uic.edu
authors.forename: Stephanie L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Schieffer
authors.forename: Nathan W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Rimington
authors.forename: Ved P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Nayyar
authors.forename: W Andreas
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Schroeder
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Longworth