Since receiving funding for the program in 2024 via an NSF MRI award, the iLocater team at The Ohio State University and University of Notre Dame, in collaboration with staff, faculty and students from Large Binocular Telescope Observatory, University of Arizona, and the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP), have undertaken design studies to optimize the specification of the AstroComb system for LBT. Working with Menlo Systems, these efforts came to fruition in May 2026 with the delivery of the LFC to the Large Binocular Telescope. Commisioning and first light at the LBT was achieved on May 14 with the first AstroComb spectrum being recorded using the PEPSI spectrograph. This important milestone is the culmination of a successful scientific and engineering collaboration across multiple institutions. 

Over the next several months, work will continue to fully optimize the LFC, while in parallel, the hardware needed to optimally inject LFC light into iLocater and PEPSI will be completed. This will allow routine use of the LFC system for instrument calibration later in 2026.

View the full size first-light AstroComb spectrum from PEPSI.

Originally published by Jonathan Crass at ilocater.nd.edu on May 17, 2026.

In addition to the use of calibration sources, iLocater was illuminated with its first astrophysical source: the Sun. Captured using a 1" achromatic fiber collimator pointed towards the Sun through the window of the laboratory where iLocater is being integrated, sunlight was injected into a single-mode fiber which was then patched into the central fiber that illuminates the spectrograph. This Solar data allows an additional assessment of wavelength coverage of the instrument, and representes the first astrophysical spectra ever recorded with iLocater.

Originally published by Jonathan Crass at ilocater.nd.edu on June 29, 2025.

Uncovering secrets about the universe involves more than what meets the eye. When drawing conclusions about the structure, origin, and temperature of faraway observations, scientists need more than light. They need color.

“By seeing which colors are missing from a star, I can tell how much iron, how much magnesium, how much silicon, how much neodymium is there,” said Evan Kirby, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. “If I measure the compositions of a bunch of stars, then I can learn about the evolution of elements in the universe.”

Kirby is a galactic archeologist, using the elements present in stars today to uncover the history of stars that exploded in the past. That discovery process depends on a technique that captures a detailed range of color possibilities, known as a spectrum. For decades, leading astronomers from around the world have turned to a powerful spectrograph called DEIMOS, which splits starlight into thousands of component colors.

Based at the W.M. Keck Observatory in Mauna Kea, Hawaii, DEIMOS has enabled around 85 percent of Kirby’s research throughout his career. He calls it “an 8,000-color box of Crayola crayons.” But after being in use for over two decades, DEIMOS needed upgrades to its detector system, which determines the range of light it can interpret and the efficiency with which it does so.

“DEIMOS will now be particularly more sensitive in the bluer regions of the spectrum,” Kirby said. “The bluer regions of the spectrum are actually very rich in these absorption lines of … heavy elements at the bottom part of the periodic table. Those elements are really important for nuclear energy.”

Blue detection is at the center of Kirby’s research inquiries, which focus on stars in nearby galaxies — or as Kirby calls them, “the Milky Way’s groupies.” But the upgrade will also improve cases that look at faraway galaxies, where light shifts toward the red end of the spectrum.

This range of applications emerged from ongoing conversations among colleagues who use DEIMOS for different purposes, and had different visions for its future. Some of these exchanges and recommendations started in 2011, when Kirby was still a postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He later became a faculty member and eventually the principal investigator to the DEIMOS upgrade, which the California Association for Research in Astronomy funded.

“By getting together a sort of coalition of people who are interested in various ways the upgrade can make their science better, the conversation started,” Kirby said.

When Kirby joined Notre Dame as a faculty member in 2021, he encountered world-class resources for building a new piece of equipment. Experts at the Engineering & Design Core Facility (EDCF) refined the design and assembled the instrument on campus. The EDCF helps develop cutting-edge technologies for researchers — including astronomy equipment, software development, electrical devices, and more.

“One of the things that we had to test was how DEIMOS responds to different rotation angles,” Kirby said. “So the creative engineers at EDCF bought an engine stand — like, for a car — mounted DEIMOS on it, and spun it around slowly. Working with this team of people here at Notre Dame, you just plug right into it. I didn't have to hire anyone new.”

To ensure a clean environment, the EDCF’s assembly process took place in Notre Dame’s Nanofabrication Facility, a state-of-the-art cleanroom in the Stinson-Remick Hall of Engineering.

“Any moisture that's in the system, any oil that's in the system can come out … and these optical components and very expensive camera arrays that are in there can get things accumulated on them,” EDCF Lead Engineer James Smous said. “That would be very bad for the measurement resolution.”

Throughout the two-year design process, the engineers kept a few key specifications in mind. They had to ensure that DEIMOS — despite being the size of a passenger van — could move smoothly while tracking the rotation of the night sky. This involved positioning an element known as a cryostat: a chamber containing liquid nitrogen, which maintains a low temperature to preserve the sensitivity in DEIMOS’s state-of-the-art light detectors. An innovative hexapod design can move the 180-pound cryostat with incredible precision — taking steps as small as 1/1000th the width of a human hair.

“There were a lot of questions that we wanted to address in the design,” Smous said. “How much hold time do you get? What if the power goes out and you can't get to [the cryostat] to refill it with liquid nitrogen?”

Alongside Smous, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineer David Cavalieri and Mechanical Engineer Josh Holewczynski carried out Phase I of the build before shipping the cryostat assembly to Caltech for completion. To ensure the vessel stayed protected in transit, the University’s carpentry shop built a custom shipping crate — the same one that will protect the device on its ultimate journey to Mauna Kea.

While Phase I of the upgrade involved mechanical engineering and assembly, Phase II will consist of additional electronic work, including detector installation.

“I'm still in touch with Caltech weekly, as they're integrating their parts,” Holewczynski said. “The three of us specialized in different areas of the instrument, so as assembly and testing continues at Caltech, we're sometimes called on to help explain how certain things work or to advise on potential changes. This constant communication is so important to making sure Caltech and Notre Dame deliver the best possible upgrades to the observatory.”

Holewczynski and Cavalieri spent months manipulating the instrument in the Clean Room, so they will also play a vital role in the hands-on installation process, which is scheduled for this fall in Mauna Kea. Caltech and Notre Dame collaborators will work to move the device into place at the Keck Observatory — a process that could take two weeks or more.

“It's always a moment of truth when what you've been looking at on your screen in 3D is now real,” Cavalieri said. “It’s an exciting, good stress.”

After installation, scientists around the world will continue turning to DEIMOS for the study of galaxies near and far, Kirby anticipates. Beyond its most obvious function — measuring stellar compositions — Kirby sees potential for DEIMOS to elucidate other contemporary research questions.

“As a byproduct of the spectrum, we get the radial velocities of the stars, so we know the motions of the stars,” Kirby said. “The speed at which stars move is sensitive to galaxies’ mass, so just for free, I get the dark matter content and can tell you something about dark matter in these galaxies.”

While helping astronomers share stories about the universe’s formation and origins, DEIMOS carries an earthside history of its own — one that now includes Notre Dame.

Contact

Martha Reilly / Web and Social Media Program Manager

Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame

mreill14@nd.edu

research.nd.edu / https://www.linkedin.com/company/undresearch/

About the Engineering and Design Core Facility

The Engineering and Design Core Facility (EDCF) provides design and related laboratory services to support experimental research endeavors in order to develop cutting-edge technologies. Supporting electrical, mechanical, optical, software, and systems engineering, the EDCF welcomes users from all departments at the University of Notre Dame, as well as other academic and industrial institutions. Learn more about the EDCF’s recent work or reach out to start a new research project.

About Notre Dame Research

The University of Notre Dame is a private research and teaching university inspired by its Catholic mission. Located in South Bend, Indiana, its researchers are advancing human understanding through research, scholarship, education, and creative endeavor in order to be a repository for knowledge and a powerful means for doing good in the world. For more information, please see research.nd.edu or NDR's LinkedIn.

Originally published by Martha Reilly at research.nd.edu on May 27, 2025.

That’s one reason that University of Notre Dame researcher Justin Crepp, associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and collaborators began designing a new instrument, called iLocater, a decade ago for southeast Arizona’s Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). The fruits of their labor are now starting to be realized. Three recent studies detail the early successes for the new technology.

The first article, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, describes the installation and commissioning in 2024 of a spectrograph named “Lili” — short for little iLocater — a miniature version of the equipment that will be replaced with a full-sized spectrograph later this year. Lili, which receives light from iLocater’s acquisition camera, “de-risked” the project and allowed astronomers to complete the first end-to-end observations. Lili (as well as the future, larger spectrograph), separates light into its rainbow of colors, allowing researchers to study the chemical composition of astrophysical objects.

They were able to accomplish this, according to the second of the three research articles. Scientists confirmed the presence of binary star system 2 Cygni “B”, which they detected in 2019. Binary star systems consist of a primary star and a smaller companion, and iLocater confirmed the association between 2 Cygni B and its primary star, 2 Cygni A, by independently measuring their temperatures using Lili. This confirmed their association and co-evolution.

“We had to acquire a tremendous amount of follow-up data, including spectroscopy, to confirm what we were seeing was a legitimate companion that is gravitationally co-moving with the star,” Crepp said. “What’s great about 2 Cygni, which is a relatively nearby star system in the Cygnus constellation, is that you can see it with the naked eye as a star in the sky.”

The third article, published in Astrophysical Journal, showed how researchers used iLocater to search for black holes and other compact objects such as white dwarfs and neutron stars. In this case, they used iLocater’s imaging and spectroscopic capabilities to characterize closely separated luminous companions, suspected to be gravitationally “tugging” on their parent stars, Crepp said.

iLocater is the first Doppler spectrograph to use the LBT’s adaptive optics system to compensate for atmospheric turbulence. This capability is essential as astronomers try to achieve high-precision radial velocity measurements from Earth. The process is considerably more cost effective than launching a telescope into space, which is usually necessary for clear images because Earth’s atmosphere distorts the light.

The radial velocity method refers to measuring the speed of an object, like a star or planet, as it moves towards or away from the observer along his or her line of sight, using the Doppler shift of light. This is one of the primary techniques that exoplanets have been discovered in the past; but the method has not yet become sensitive to Earth-like planets.

Now that iLocater is producing scientific results, Crepp looks forward to the installation of the full-sized spectrograph at the end of this year.

“What is really exciting is that iLocater’s final spectrograph will offer 100 times higher resolution than what we used with the initial Lili experiments,” Crepp said.

These first publications and the project have “taken a very long time,” Crepp said. “I was an assistant professor here in 2012 when I originally had the idea, the conception of iLocater. You have to be brave enough to operate on these longer time scales where you're taking on technical risks and opportunity cost, so we had to weigh and balance all of those things.”

Crepp and Jonathan Crass, adjunct assistant professor at Notre Dame (iLocater’s instrument scientist who is now based at Ohio State University), conducted research with iLocater that led to the three scientific papers, working alongside other investigators at Durham University and Ohio State University.

As new hardware comes online and iLocater scientific activities continue to ramp up, the instrument will be used not only by Notre Dame but also by an international consortium of astronomers, including researchers from Italy and Germany, as well as the LBT’s broad domestic partnership, Crepp said.

The project was funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the Mt. Cuba Foundation.

"We deeply appreciate the support provided by NASA (Goddard Space Flight Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory) for help with developing key iLocater technologies, as well as the NSF for their essential funding of students, postdocs, and staff,” Crepp said. “We would also like to acknowledge the Mt. Cuba Foundation for their support of iLocater's wavelength calibration unit.”

Originally published by Deanna Csomo Ferrell at science.nd.edu on April 11, 2025.

A record-tying four University of Notre Dame students have been named 2025 Goldwater Scholars in recognition of their exceptional promise as future leaders in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics.

Juniors Jacob Finley, John Howe, Thomas Reimer and Connor Smith each will receive a maximum $7,500 for tuition and other expenses for the upcoming 2025-26 academic year.

Jacob Finley

Finley, from Kentucky, is an honors track physics-in-medicine major in the College of Science. He is a research assistant to Sylwia Ptasinska, professor of physics and astronomy, in the Ptasinska Research Laboratory. He previously worked under Steven Lin, associate professor of biomedical sciences, at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He will pursue research this summer as an Amgen Scholar at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Outside of the classroom, he is a hospice volunteer. He also volunteers at a local hospital. After graduation, he plans to pursue a doctorate in physics and then work as a radiation oncology physician scientist.

John Howe

Howe, from Texas, is an electrical engineering major in the College of Engineering. A two-time NDnano Undergraduate Research Fellow, he is an assistant to Kai Ni, assistant professor of electrical engineering, in the Nanoelectronic Devices and Systems Group. He previously worked under Svetlana Neretina, professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering, in the Nanomaterial Fabrication Research Laboratory. Outside of the classroom, he is a member of the Notre Dame Marching Band and the Robotic Football Club. He plans to pursue a doctorate in electrical engineering after graduation and then work as a researcher for the semiconductor industry, with a focus on memory technologies.

Thomas Reimer

Reimer, from Maryland, is an honors track chemistry major in the College of Science. He is a research assistant to Brandon Ashfeld, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, in the Ashfeld Research Group. He previously worked under Kaiya Fu, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, in the Fu Lab. A past recipient of a summer research abroad grant from the National Science Foundation and a Summer Language Abroad Grant from the Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures, he plans to pursue a doctorate in chemistry after graduation and then pursue solutions to unsolved or overlooked biological problems in the medical context as an organic chemist.

Connor Smith

Smith, from Texas, is a Glynn Family Honors Scholar and an honors track physics major in the College of Science. He is a research assistant to Justin Crepp, associate professor of physics and astronomy and director of the Engineering and Design Core Facility. He conducted research on gravitational waves with Quynh Lan Nguyen, affiliate scholar of physics and astronomy, and was a recipient of the Quazi and Shaheen Islam Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Physics and Astronomy from the College of Science. Outside of the classroom, he is a bilingual tutor with La Casa de Amistad. He also co-hosts a weekly radio program on campus. He plans to pursue a doctorate in astrophysics after graduation and then conduct astrophysical research at an observatory or national laboratory or research and teach at the university level.

In applying for the scholarship, the students worked closely with the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE), which supports the intellectual development of Notre Dame students via scholarly engagement, research, creative endeavors and the pursuit of fellowships.

Emily Hunt is assistant director of scholarly development for CUSE.

“Our success with the Goldwater Scholarship points directly to the transformative research opportunities available to Notre Dame students in the Colleges of Engineering and Science,” Hunt said. “Each one of our recipients has received guidance from dedicated faculty mentors both on campus and off. Thank you to those mentors, CUSE postdoctoral fellow Grace Song and our dedicated faculty nomination committee for supporting our applicants.”

Named for former U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, the Goldwater Scholarship seeks to foster and encourage outstanding sophomores and juniors to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics. It is the preeminent undergraduate award of its type in these particular fields.

For more on this and other scholarship opportunities, visit cuse.nd.edu.

Originally published by Erin Blasko at news.nd.edu on April 04, 2025.

“Our new Large Mach 10 Quiet Wind Tunnel embodies Notre Dame’s commitment to boundary-breaking research in aerospace engineering and fluid dynamics,” said Jeffrey F. Rhoads, vice president for research and professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. “We are proud to serve the nation by advancing our hypersonic capabilities and enabling tomorrow’s hypersonic workforce through this one-of-a-kind facility.”

The new facility was dedicated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted over the Veteran’s Day weekend, which featured remarks from Ambassador Joe Donnelly, Admiral Christopher Grady, Congressman Pat Fallon, Chairman Mike Rogers, and Dean Patricia Culligan.

Donnelly, who represented the State of Indiana in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and also served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, said, “This is a testament to ‘God. Country. Notre Dame.’ The technology developed here will help us stand up and protect our nation and keep our children and grandchildren safe…It will ensure that our nation is stronger and that we have an even better future.”

Admiral Grady, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the nation’s second-highest-ranking military officer, said, “This facility will allow researchers to conduct experiments that could lead to the development of faster and more effective systems, thus improving our military's conventional capabilities, enhancing deterrence, ensuring that we can respond swiftly to emerging threats, and promising our safety and security in this very uncertain world.”

Grady added, “The implications of hypersonic research extend far beyond defense, fostering economic growth and technological collaboration. As we push the boundaries of what is possible, we will also be leading advancements in commercial aerospace, energy efficiency, and environmental sustainability. By developing technologies that harness hypersonic systems and speeds, we can envision a future where air travel is faster, safer, and more efficient, thus connecting the world like never before...In addition, the cross-disciplinary nature of hypersonic research will foster innovation and train the next generation of our workforce of engineers, scientists, and skilled artisans to think beyond conventional boundaries. ”

The new wind tunnel adds a new chapter to Notre Dame’s history of excellence in aerospace-related innovation. That history dates back to 1882, when Notre Dame student Albert Francis Zahm, who would later become a faculty member at the University, built one of the world’s first wind tunnels on campus. Zahm was among the first to conclude that slender, curved surfaces shaped like a bird’s wing would make the best airplane wings and propellers.

The new Large Mach 10 Quiet Wind Tunnel joins an outstanding group of facilities on campus that carry on Notre Dame’s tradition of aerospace innovation. These include the Hessert Laboratory for Aerospace Research and Hessert at White Field, the Institute for Flow Physics and Control (FlowPAC), and NDTL Propulsion & Power.

The tunnel was designed by Thomas Corke, Notre Dame’s Clark Equipment Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, along with doctoral students Joseph Heston and Jacob Caldwell. Five additional doctoral students in Corke's research group—Nick Hawley, Alec Jobbins, Will Jordan, Tim Moren, and Alyssa Spencer—contributed to the tunnel design and assembly. Research associate professor Eric Matlis and David Cavalieri, mechanical and aerospace engineer in the Engineering and Design Core Facility, also contributed to the tunnel design. The team overcame pandemic-related supply challenges to bring the project to life, working alongside local manufacturers across the Midwest.

The new facility will serve several immediate purposes. It will help address backlogs at Department of Defense testing facilities, enhancing the ability of aerospace companies to move swiftly from concept to prototype. The facility will provide a key resource to support a planned graduate program in hypersonic systems, and it will also create outstanding career opportunities for students interested in military service, aerospace engineering, and research careers at U.S. national laboratories.

"Innovation in hypersonics is a critical priority for ensuring the safety and prosperity of our nation in the 21st century," said Corke. "The foundation of that innovation lies in a workforce with a strong base of expertise in aerospace engineering, materials science, manufacturing, and data analysis—skills essential to tackling the unique challenges posed by hypersonic flight." Corke added, "Building a pipeline for talent into future careers in hypersonic systems is crucial, which means engaging students at all ages and academic levels."

The tunnel was made possible by funding from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)). For more information on hypersonic research at the University of Notre Dame, please visit the Hypersonic Systems Initiative website.

Contact:

Brett Beasley / Research Content Strategy Program Director

Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame

bbeasle1@nd.edu / +1 574-631-8183

research.nd.edu / @UNDResearch

About Notre Dame Research:

The University of Notre Dame is a private research and teaching university inspired by its Catholic mission. Located in South Bend, Indiana, its researchers are advancing human understanding through research, scholarship, education, and creative endeavor in order to be a repository for knowledge and a powerful means for doing good in the world. For more information, please visit the website or @UNDResearch.

Originally published by Brett Beasley at research.nd.edu on November 18, 2024.