The Diffraction-Limited Near-Infrared Spectropolarimeter (DL-NIRSP) of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST)

The Diffraction-Limited Near-Infrared Spectropolarimeter (DL-NIRSP) is one of the first-light instruments for the National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST). DL-NIRSP is an integral-field, dual-beam spectropolarimeter intended for studying magnetically sensitive spectral lines in the Sun’s photosphere, chromosphere, and corona with high spectral resolution and polarimetric accuracy. Two novel fiber-optic integral-field units (IFUs), paired with selectable feed optics and a field-scanning mirror provide great flexibility in spatial sampling ( 0.03^'' , 0.08^'' , and 0.5^'' ) and field coverage ( 2^'× 2^' ). The IFUs allow DL-NIRSP to record all the spectra from a 2D field of view simultaneously, enabling the instrument to study the evolution of highly dynamic events. The spectrograph is an all-reflecting, near-Littrow design, which achieves a resolving power of approximately 125,000. Multiple wavelengths can be observed simultaneously using three spectral arms: one for visible wavelengths (500 – 900 nm) and two for infrared wavelengths (900 – 1350 nm and 1350 – 1800 nm). Each supporting camera sub-system is capable of a 30-Hz frame rate, making it possible to track dynamic phenomena on the Sun.