Astro-comb calibrator and spectrograph characterization using a turn-key laser frequency comb

Using a turn-key Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser frequency comb, an off-the-shelf supercontinuum device and Fabry-Perot mode filters, we report the generation of a 16-GHz frequency comb spanning a 90-nm band about a center wavelength of 566 nm. The light from this astro-comb is used to calibrate the HARPS-N astrophysical spectrograph for precision radial velocity measurements. The comb-calibrated spectrograph achieves a stability of ∼ 1 cm / s within half an hour of averaging time. We also use the astro-comb as a reference for measurements of solar spectra obtained with a compact telescope and as a tool to study intrapixel sensitivity variations on the spectrograph detector.