Advanced Image Slicer (AIS)

• Developed from MPE's 3D by the University of Durham for highly-efficient spectroscopy over a two-dimensional field

• Optimum use of detector pixels since complete slices of sky are imaged (no dead space between spatial samples)

• Correct spectral sampling is obtained without degrading spatial resolution in dispersion direction

• Diffraction is only a 1-D issue

• ® reduction in optics size/mass

• Optics may be diamond-turned from the same material as the mount to reduce thermal mismatch

• ® good for space/cryo applications

• Adopted by GEMINI 8m Telescopes Project (GNIRS-IFU) and proposed by ESA for NGST