University of Florida

Experimental Astrophysics

We have developed a number of astronomical instruments, primarily in the near-infrared (1-2.5 micron) bandpass, for some of the world's largest telescopes. These include:

  • MIRADAS MIRADAS is a facility-class $11M NIR multi-object R=20K spectrograph for the 10.4-meter Gran Telecopio Canarias . Stephen Eikenberry is the Principal Investigator leading the MIRADAS Consortium in the design, construction, and scientific use of this great new instrument. First light is expected in 2021.


  • CIRCE CIRCE is a NIR camera previously on the 10.4-meter Gran Telecopio Canarias . CIRCE was built by our group at UF, commissioned in 2015, and produced some very exciting results (Dallilar et al., 2017, 358, 1299).

  • FLAMINGOS-2 is a NIR imager and multi-object spectrograph (R=1K to 3K) for the 8-meter Gemini South telescope. FLAMINGOS-2 has been in service since 2012.

  • PolyOculus is a novel technology we are developing to link arrays of small telescopes together to provide ultra-low-cost light gathering capabilities for science applications ranging from transient studies to extra-solar planets to compact objects to precision cosmology. More coming soon!

  • Other astronomical instrumentation projects we are involved in include: FRIDA, WIFIS, FLAMINGOS-retrofit.

  • We also have multiple projects/patents related to applications of these technologies to other fields, such as biomedical imaging, remote sensing, small satellites, and agriculture.