Pre-shipment optical characterization of the SCALES instrument

arXiv:2608.28918 · astro-ph.IM, astro-ph.EP · Submitted 2026-08-28 · Read on arXiv

astro-ph.IM, astro-ph.EP

Submitted: 2026-08-28

Updated: 2026-08-28

Journal ref: Proc. SPIE 14149, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy XI, 1414955 (21 Aug 2026)

DOI: 10.1117/12.3105824

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The gist: The Slicer Combined with an Array of Lenslets for Exoplanet Spectroscopy (SCALES) instrument is a 1-5 micron imager and 2-5 micron integral field spectrograph, currently being commissioned on the

Abstract

The Slicer Combined with an Array of Lenslets for Exoplanet Spectroscopy (SCALES) instrument is a 1-5 micron imager and 2-5 micron integral field spectrograph, currently being commissioned on the Keck II Telescope. SCALES is optimized for exoplanet high-contrast imaging and spectroscopic characterization, and will be sensitive to older, colder exoplanets than existing instrumentation. The 12.3" x 12.3" imaging channel is designed to replicate the capabilities of NIRC2, and the low (R 35-200, 2.2" x 2.2" FOV) and medium (R 2500-5000, 0.36" x 0.34" FOV) spectral resolution modes offer new capabilities compared to existing Keck instrumentation. We present preliminary optical performance results from laboratory testing and commissioning of SCALES.

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