A Fabry-Perot and grism imaging spectrograph LISS (Line Imager and Slit Spectrograph)

LISS (Line Imager and Slit Spectrograph) is an imager and spectrograph equipped with a liquid crystal etalon and a low resolution grism. It is specialized to observe and map the emission and absorption lines of astronomical objects. A fully depleted and back illuminated 2K x 1K Hamamatsu CCD which has high sensitivity at redder wavelengths in optical bands enables this instrument to give a good performance in imaging and spectroscopic observations of emission lines such as [SIII]λλ 906.9/953.2 nm. We successfully carried out commissioning observations at the 1.6-m Pirka telescope of Hokkaido University in September/October 2012 and June/July 2013. In this paper, we describe the design and performance of LISS as well as its early observational results and future prospects.