Echelle++, a Fast Generic Spectrum Simulator. (13th December 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Stürmer, Julian; Seifahrt, Andreas; Robertson, Zachary; Schwab, Christian; Bean, Jacob L.
• Is Part Of: Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Volume 131:Number 996(2019)
• Publication Date: 2018-12-13
• Subjects: instrumentation: spectrographs -- techniques: radial velocities -- methods: numerical; Astronomy -- Periodicals; Astronomy; Periodicals; Periodicals; 520.5
• DOI: 10.1088/1538-3873/aaec2e
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0004-6280

Abstract

Abstract: We present the software package, Echelle++, an open-source C++ code to simulate realistic raw spectra based on the Zemax model of any spectrograph, with a particular emphasis on cross-dispersed Échelle spectrographs. Echelle++ generates realistic spectra of astronomical and calibration sources, with accurate representation of optical aberrations, the shape of the point-spread function, detector characteristics, and photon noise. It produces high-fidelity spectra fast, a very important feature when testing data reduction pipelines with a large set of different input spectra, when making critical choices about order spacing in the design phase of the instrument, or while aligning the spectrograph during construction. Echelle++ also works with low-resolution, low signal-to-noise, multi-object, IFU, or long-slit spectra, for simulating a wide array of spectrographs. We chose to initially generate our own spectrograph model from the optical prescription in Zemax. Echelle++ can then be used independently, without access to commercial ray tracing software.