Prototyping the Next-Generation Spectrograph for Space Exploration: Digital Micromirror Device-based Multi-Object Spectrograph (DMD-MOS) Calibration and Performance Assessment
Abstract
Abandoning the traditional approaches to multi-object spectrographs, the Digital Micro-mirror Device-based Multi-Object Spectrograph (DMD-MOS) leverages a robust, elegant method for creating multi-object spectroscopy slit masks through use of a DMD, which is an array of microscopic flat mirrors where each micro-mirror can be addressed to physically flip between two discrete angles. We have designed two optical channels for DMD-MOS - one for each of these two positions: 1) an imaging channel that can be used for multi-object target selection and 2) a spectrograph channel. Using this two-channel approach, DMD-MOS can simultaneously image the telescope field of view (FOV) with the imaging channel and actuate the specific DMD micro-mirrors to send light from chosen targets into the spectrograph channel. In this work, we present the results of our laboratory testing of DMD-MOS including spectral resolution, line spread function, wavelength coverage, and the mapping between the DMD and imaging channel planes, the latter of which enables DMD-MOS and our control software to instantaneously configure the DMD to observe chosen target(s) in the acquisition field.
Versions
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BibTeX
@misc{xu2026prototyping,
title = {{Prototyping the Next-Generation Spectrograph for Space Exploration: Digital Micromirror Device-based Multi-Object Spectrograph (DMD-MOS) Calibration and Performance Assessment}},
author = {Jiayi Emma Xu and Sarik Jeram and Shaojie Chen and Ting S. Li and Ziang Chen and Zain Azam and Adi Khandelwal and Mark Barnet and Yixuan Cheng and Suresh Sivanandam},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.00509},
eprint = {2610.00509},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.00509},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Prototyping the Next-Generation Spectrograph for Space Exploration: Digital Micromirror Device-based Multi-Object Spectrograph (DMD-MOS) Calibration and Performance Assessment
AU - Jiayi Emma Xu
AU - Sarik Jeram
AU - Shaojie Chen
AU - Ting S. Li
AU - Ziang Chen
AU - Zain Azam
AU - Adi Khandelwal
AU - Mark Barnet
AU - Yixuan Cheng
AU - Suresh Sivanandam
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.00509
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.00509
AB - Abandoning the traditional approaches to multi-object spectrographs, the Digital Micro-mirror Device-based Multi-Object Spectrograph (DMD-MOS) leverages a robust, elegant method for creating multi-object spectroscopy slit masks through use of a DMD, which is an array of microscopic flat mirrors where each micro-mirror can be addressed to physically flip between two discrete angles. We have designed two optical channels for DMD-MOS - one for each of these two positions: 1) an imaging channel that can be used for multi-object target selection and 2) a spectrograph channel. Using this two-channel approach, DMD-MOS can simultaneously image the telescope field of view (FOV) with the imaging channel and actuate the specific DMD micro-mirrors to send light from chosen targets into the spectrograph channel. In this work, we present the results of our laboratory testing of DMD-MOS including spectral resolution, line spread function, wavelength coverage, and the mapping between the DMD and imaging channel planes, the latter of which enables DMD-MOS and our control software to instantaneously configure the DMD to observe chosen target(s) in the acquisition field.
ER -