Posted on September 7, 2022 by Frédérique Baron
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The Near InfraRed Planet Searcher (NIRPS) is an instrument that was recently installed on the 3.6 meter telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. Its design was carried out by an international collaboration led by the Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic (WMO), the Institute for Research on Exoplanets of the University of Montreal and the Observatoire astronomique de l’Université from Geneva to Switzerland.
The Canadian team, which also includes the Herzberg Research Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the National Research Council of Canada and the Center d’optique, de photonique et de lasers (COPL) at Université Laval, contributed to the conception and design of the NIRPS Spectrograph. Professor Simon Thibault and his team, in collaboration with the OMM and iREx team, performed mechanical and optical tests at the COPL laboratories.
The NIRPS spectrograph’s cryostat, which keeps the instrument at very low temperatures. Credits: Anne-Sophie Poulin Girard.
In January 2022, the NIRPS spectrograph was ready for its long journey. It left the Laval University laboratories and went to Chile, finally arriving at the La Silla Observatory in March.
The installation and testing phase of the spectrograph then began. Anne-Sophie Poulin Girard, Hugues Auger and Guillame Alain from the Université Laval, accompanied by Benjamin Kung, Alex Segovial and François Wildi from the Observatoire astronomique de l’Université de Genève, as well as Frédérique Baron, Philippe Vallée, Étienne Artigau, and Charles Cadieux of the WMO and iREx, visited the observatory site to set up the instrument and make it operational before it could observe the sky for the first time.
We asked Étienne Artigau, Charles Cadieux and Frédérique Baron, iREx astronomers who participated in these installation and testing activities, some questions.
Étienne Artigau (left), Charles Cadieux (centre) and Frédérique Baron (right) with the NIRPS instrument. Credits: Photos courtesy of Étienne (left) and Charles (center), Gaspare Lo Curto (right).
iREx: Why did you go to Chile? What is your role in this project?
Stephen: I am a researcher at the University of Montreal and I am the project scientist for the NIRPS instrument. I coordinate the scientific projects on the instrument. I am also heavily involved in data analysis and the transformation of data taken with NIRPS into usable measurements for astronomical research. However, it is not in this capacity that I participated in the mission last April. My role was to assist mechanical specialist Philippe Vallée in the final tests before cooling the instrument for the first time.
Carlos: I am a Ph.D. student in astrophysics at the University of Montreal and member of the scientific collaboration NIRPS. I went to Chile, more precisely to the La Silla Observatory, as part of the NIRPS installation. My Ph.D. The project is dedicated to the study of small temperate exoplanets. In particular, I try to measure its mass and composition, which requires observations with an instrument like NIRPS.
Frederick: I am the deputy director of the NIRPS project. I went to Chile to participate in the first phase of the NIRPS installation. Specifically, with Alex Segovia we installed and tested the different electronic devices that allow us to control the systems installed in the cryostat, the sealed chamber that keeps the instrument at very low temperatures.
iREx: Tell us about your journey!
Stephen: It started very badly! Due to the COVID pandemic, I had to get the PCR test done before I left…and the lab lost my test! After a few anxious moments on the phone, they were able to find a quick test that he could take at the airport. Once in Santiago, I was finally able to leave the airport hotel, go to the Observatory Residence that hosts visiting astronomers and enjoy the city a bit. The next day I left for the Observatorio de la Silla: a 500 km flight to La Serena, a 2 hour drive by truck, and finally arriving at the observatory.
Once there, every day is similar and nothing marks the passage of time. We get up around 7 in the morning, and we don’t have to make too much noise, because there are colleagues who have just gone to sleep in the rooms next door! Breakfast in the Observatory cafeteria, and then we go to the telescope to work on the instrument.
A guacano at the La Silla Observatory. Credit: Étienne Artigau.
The La Silla Observatory site is quite large and the telescope is about 2 km from the bedroom. We have a car at our disposal but we try to do the walk when the weather permits. There are guanacos everywhere in the surrounding area and it’s an absolutely gorgeous setting!
There are many small tasks that need to be done with the NIRPS instrument. By the time of my visit in April, the vacuum had been established inside the cryostat and we were preparing to begin the cooling phase to reduce the temperature of the spectrograph to close to -200℃. The slightest leak from the cryostat could seriously jeopardize the project, so we made sure to remove them all!
In the evening, I participated several times in the observations with the technicians during the first half of the night. This was very helpful for me as we will be doing many nights of observations over the next five years, both in person and remotely.
Carlos: This was my first time at the Observatory, where I stayed for two weeks. Much of my time was spent learning the operation of the 3.6 meter telescope, the largest on site, where the NIRPS is installed. I familiarized myself with the instrument control room, where the observation and calibration sequences are initiated. During my stay, I performed, among other things, routine checks of the NIRPS cooling system, optimized the instrument calibration sequence, and helped realign the input of one of the optical fibers, a crucial operation for ensure the proper functioning of the NIRPS. .
iREx: What interests you about this project? What do you find most exciting?
Stephen: In exchange for the instrument design, our team achieved 720 nights spread over five years, which is absolutely huge! This will allow us to do what no other team in the world can afford in terms of the scale of observational projects.
Data analysis is also a lot of fun for me! It’s like doing a Wordle or a Sudoku, but on a much larger scale. We know that the signal of a planet that could harbor life is hidden in terabytes of data… we just have to decipher it.
Carlos: The NIRPS will be one of the most powerful infrared spectrographs in the world. It will also be possible to operate NIRPS simultaneously with the world-renowned HARPS spectrograph, a complementary instrument sensitive to visible light, which has been operating at the same telescope for many years. Simultaneously obtaining the spectrum of a star in visible and infrared light facilitates the identification of signals related to its magnetic activity, which can sometimes be confused with signals from exoplanets. Thus, the NIRPS + HARPS combination will be very efficient for studying exoplanets. For example, we will be able to determine the chemical composition of the atmosphere of Earth-like exoplanets.
iREx: What was the biggest challenge?
Carlos: In my case, the biggest challenge was quickly getting to know how NIRPS and the La Silla facilities work.
Frederick: The biggest challenge for me was not during my stay at La Silla, but before (and after!). The installation of the NIRPS in La Silla required the presence of several people on site, in addition to constant interaction with colleagues in Montreal and Geneva. The different phases of the instrument installation required people with different skills, so it was quite a puzzle to coordinate the most optimal schedule. In the end, everything went well and we even finished our work a little early!
iREx: What did you like best about your experience?
Timelapses at the La Silla Observatory. Credit: Étienne Artigau.
Stephen: The nights are absolutely magical, especially when the moon goes down! La Silla’s altitude is optimal for naked-eye observations because the lack of oxygen at higher altitudes makes the eye less sensitive to the faint light coming from the stars. I had fun making timelapse videos to show the atmosphere of the nights in the mountains.
Carlos: I loved being at the place, which is in the middle of the desert at an altitude of 2400 meters. I had great meetings with astronomers from all over the world. It was a great honor to have participated in the preparation phase of the NIRPS.
Frederick: The sky in La Silla is absolutely magnificent! Being used to the Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic, I especially appreciated being able to gaze at the stars outside without getting cold!
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