Publication
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is under construction to measure the expansion history of the Universe using the baryon acoustic oscillation technique. A new prime focus corrector for the KPNO Mayall telescope will deliver light to 5,000 fiber optic positioners feeding ten broad-band spectrographs. The positioners have eccentric axis kinematics. Actuation is provided by two 4 mm diameter DC brushless gear-motors. An attached electronics board accepts a DC voltage for power and CAN messages for communications and drives the two motors. The positioner accepts the ferrulized and polished fiber and provides a mechanically safe path through its internal mechanism. Positioning is rapid and accurate with typical RMS errors of less than 5 mu m.
Stewart Cole, Xin Chen, Jean-Paul Richard Kneib, Eduardo Sanchez, Zheng Zheng, Andrei Variu, Daniel Felipe Forero Sanchez, Hua Zhang, Sun Hee Kim, Cheng Zhao, Anand Stéphane Raichoor, David Schlegel, Jiangyan Yang, Ting Tan, Zhifeng Ding, Arjun Dey