A proposal of image slicer designed for integral field spectroscopy with NIRSpec/JSWT

Integral field spectroscopy (IFS) provides a spectrum simultaneously for each spatial sample of an extended, two-dimensional field. It consists of an integral field unit (IFU) which slices and re-arranges the initial field along the entrance slit of a spectrograph. This article presents a deviation of the classical design of IFU based on the advanced image slicer concept [Content, R., 1997. A new design for integral field spectroscopy with 8-m telescopes. Proc. SPIE 2871, 1295]. To reduce optical aberrations, pupil and slit mirrors are disposed in a fan-shaped configuration that means that angles between incident and reflected beams on each elements are minimized. The fan-shaped image slicer is explained more in details in [Vivès, S., Prieto, E. submitted for publication. An original image slicer designed for Integral Field Spectroscopy with NIRSpec/JSWT. Opt Eng. Available from: ArXiv Physics e-prints, arXiv:0512002.] As an example, we are presenting the design LAM used for its proposal at the NIRSPEC/IFU invitation of tender.