MUSE Busy Week

MUSE is an Adaptive Optics assisted Integral Field Spectrograph, currently being build as a second generation instrument for the VLT by a consortium consisting of several European partners and led by the Centre de Recherche Astronomique deLyon (CRAL). The instrument will have to instrument modes; the Wide Field Mode (WFM) and Narrow Field Mode (NFM), each with their respective science case. The WFM, using a Ground Layer Adaptive Optics system to achieve a moderate, uniform correction over a field of 1 x 1’, a sampling of 0.2” and having a spectral resolution of 2000-4000, will be mainly aimed at very deep, large area surveys, allowing for the study of the earliest galaxies at the highest red shifts or Lyman-break galaxies, but also allows for spatially resolved spectroscopy of luminous distant galaxies. The NFM, using a Laser Tomographic Adaptive Optics System to achieve high correction over a field of 7.5 x 7.5”, a sampling of 0.025 and again having a spectral resolution of 2000-4000, will be mainly used to study the cores of nearer galaxies, probe the relationship between super massive black holes and their host galaxies and associated kinematics.MUSE is currently in its Preliminary Design Phase and will have its Preliminary Design Review (PDR) in July of 2007. This meeting aims at preparing for this PDR, discussions regarding critical issues and streamlining the collaboration between the different teams, working on the different elements of the instrument. Partners from all collaborating institutes (AIP – Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam, CRAL –Centre de Recherche Astronomique de Lyon, ESO/INS – ESO Instrument Division, ESO/AOT – ESO Adaptive Optics Team, ETH – Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, IAG –Institute für Astrophysik Göttingen, LAOMP – Laboratoire d'Astrophysique Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées and Leiden – Sterrewacht Leiden) will be meeting in Leiden and discuss these issues in a number of parallel sessions. Specific topics to be discussed include: •     Management •     System analysis •     Optics, Mechanics and Electronics •     Metrology •     Calibration •     AIT