GHOST instrument control software: A progress report

Jon G. Nielsen, Ian A. Price, Peter J. Young, Michael J. Ireland

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

    9 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The Gemini High Resolution Optical Spectrograph (GHOST) is a dual-object integral-field unit fed echelle spectrograph currently under construction by an Australian-led consortium including the Australian National University (ANU), the Australian Astronomical Observatory (AAO) and Canada's Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Center. The instrument control software for GHOST is under development by ANU. A brief overview of the relevant instrument subsystems is presented from the point of view of instrument control, along with a high-level overview of the software design. We discuss the operational concepts that have required specific software solutions, including IFU positioner collision avoidance, focal plane image reconstruction, and the guiding loop. We provide details of the various screens in the Acceptance Test and Engineering User Interface, showing how they support the operational concepts. The project comprises a variety of software technologies, including the Gemini Instrument Application Programmer Interface (GIAPI), ANU CICADA software, and various off-the-shelf packages. We discuss the use of these technologies, and our experiences with using them. The various different hardware devices also require specific software support, and we discuss our experiences with vendor-supplied libraries and code. We conclude with a brief outline of the development process, together with a discussion of successes and challenges.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationSoftware and Cyberinfrastructure for Astronomy V
    EditorsJuan C. Guzman, Jorge Ibsen
    PublisherSPIE
    ISBN (Print)9781510619678
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2018
    EventSoftware and Cyberinfrastructure for Astronomy V 2018 - Austin, United States
    Duration: 10 Jun 201813 Jun 2018

    Publication series

    NameProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
    Volume10707
    ISSN (Print)0277-786X
    ISSN (Electronic)1996-756X

    Conference

    ConferenceSoftware and Cyberinfrastructure for Astronomy V 2018
    Country/TerritoryUnited States
    CityAustin
    Period10/06/1813/06/18

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