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Paper: High S/N CCD spectroscopy of interstellar absorption lines
Volume: 8, CCDs in Astronomy
Page: 345
Authors: Meyer, David M.
Abstract: Recent enhancements in the blue sensitivity of CCD detectors have made it possible to perform high S/N spectroscopy on a number of interstellar absorption lines shortward of 4000 A. The techniques used to obtain high S/N data with CCDs are discussed and compared to earlier efforts involving photographic plates and Reticon detectors. Spectra are presented indicating that CCDs are capable of yielding data with S/N ratios in the 1000-2000 range. At high spectral resolution, this sensitivity makes it possible to easily detect interstellar absorption features with equivalent widths less than 1 mA. The application of such data to scientific issues concerning the cosmic microwave background radiation, Galactic chemical evolution, interstellar chemistry, and small-scale structure in the interstellar medium is discussed.
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