The Hobby-Eberly Telescope medium resolution spectrograph and fiber instrument feed

The Medium Resolution Spectrograph (MRS) is a high throughput, versatile, fiber-fed echelle spectrograph for the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET). This instrument is designed for a wide range of scientific investigations; it includes single-fiber inputs for the study of point-like sources, synthetic slits of fibers for long slit spectroscopy, multi-fiber inputs for multiobject spectroscopy, and an optical fiber integral field unit. The MRS will have resolution settings between 3500 < lambda/Delta lambda < 21000 and will consist of two beams. The initial, visible wavelength beam will have wavelength coverage from 450 - 900 nm in a single exposure. This beam will also have capability in the ranges 390 - 450 and 900 - 950 nm by altering the angles of the echelle and/or cross-disperser gratings. Later, a second beam operating in the near-infrared will be added which will have coverage of 950 - 1300 nm in a single exposure and capability out to 1800 nm. The HET Fiber Instrument Feed (FIF) is mounted at the focal plane of the telescope and positions the fibers feeding the MRS and the High Resolution Spectrograph (HRS). The unique and economical design of the FIF enables the HET's versatility in performing a wide range of scientific investigations with the telescope operating in a queue-scheduled mode.