The Gaia Spectroscopic Instrument (RVS): A Technical Challenge
arXiv:1010.0419 · doi:10.1051/eas/1045031
Abstract
The lack of radial velocity data in the Hipparcos catalogue was considered a significant deficiency, so when Gaia was conceived, a spectrometer was a core constituent of its payload. The Gaia Radial Velocity Spectrometer faced a number of design challenges, in particular set by the need to balance kinematic and astrophysical capability. We present an overview of the evolution of the instrument to its present form, identifying the competing technical, performance and programmatic factors which have shaped it.
8 pages, 3 figures, to be published in the Proceedings of the ELSA conference "Gaia: at the frontiers of astrometry", Sèvres, Paris, June 2010, EDP Sciences (EAS Series), editors C. Turon, F. Arenou & F. Meynadier