Scientific Seminars

SOXS: a spectrograph at the NTT for transient sources

Sergio Campana
INAF - OABrera

2018-11-13    14:00    Brera - Cupola Fiore

SOXS (Son Of X-Shooter) is a spectrograph for the ESO NTT telescope capable to cover the optical and NIR bands, based on the heritage of the X-Shooter at the ESO-VLT. SOXS is built and run by an international consortium, carrying out rapid and long term Target of Opportunity observations on a variety of astronomical objects. These will be a mixture of fast alerts (e.g. gamma-ray bursts, gravitational waves, neutrino events), mid-term alerts (e.g. supernovae, X-ray transients), fixed time events (e.g. close-by passage of minor bodies). While the focus is on transients and variables, still there is a wide range of other astrophysical targets and science topics that will benefit from SOXS. The design foresees a spectrograph with a Resolution-Slit product ≈ 4500, capable of simultaneously observing over the entire band the complete spectral range from the U- to the H-band (350-2000 nm). The limiting magnitude of R~20 (1 hr at S/N~10) is suited to study transients identified from on-going imaging surveys. Light imaging capabilities in the optical band (grizy, 3.5x3.5 arcmin2) are also envisaged to allow for multi-band photometry of the faintest transients.