Multiple Integral Field Spectroscopy

Integral-field spectroscopy is the most effective method of exploiting the superb image quality of the ESO-VLT, allowing complex astrophysical processes to be probed on the angular scales currently accessible only for imaging data, but with the addition of information in the spectral dimension. We discuss science drivers and requirements for multiple deployable integral fields for spectroscopy in the near-infrared. We then describe a fully modular instrument concept which can achieve such a capability over a 5–10′ field with up to 32 deployable integral fields, each fully cryogenic with 1–2.5 μm coverage at a spectral resolution of ~3000, each with a 4″ × 4″ field of view sampled at 0.2 arcsec pixel-1 to take advantage of the best K-band seeing.