CUBES, the Cassegrain U-Band Efficient Spectrograph, brings a unique capability to ESO’s Very Large Telescope: an ultraviolet eye on the Universe to complement the Extremely Large Telescope. CUBES aims to be the most efficient (> 40%) ground based spectrograph in the UV with a spectral coverage of 300–405 nm. Two resolution modes are offered: 20000 and 7000.

The final design phase is currently being completed and it is expected that manufacturing phase is starting early next year.

The talk gives an overview of CUBES, with a focus of the technical challenges in optics and mechanics. New grating technology enables high efficiency in the UV, while an active flexure compensation supports the spectral stability of the instrument.

Presentation: German
Slides: English
Questions: German, English