Paper detail

The Swift UVOT grism calibration and example spectra

The calibration of the two UVOT grisms which provide slitless spectroscopy in the 170-500 nm (UV grism) and 295-660 nm (visible grism) ranges has been completed. The UV grism has a spectral resolution ($λ/Δλ$) of 75 at $λ$2600 Å for source magnitudes of u=10-16 mag, while the visible grism has a spectral resolution of 100 at $λ$4000 Å for source magnitudes of b=12-17 mag. For brighter spectra, coincidence loss (pile-up) occurs in the photon-counting detector. A correction for the coincidence loss in grism spectra has been developed, and limits have been established above which that correction fails. After discussing the UVOT grisms and their calibration, an illustration is given of the breadth of the UVOT grism spectroscopy.