Andrew Szentgyorgyi

About

Andrew Szentgyorgyi is a pioneering astronomical instrumentation scientist whose work has fundamentally shaped modern multi-object spectroscopy. His key research areas include the design and construction of fiber-fed spectrographs, wide-field optical systems, and exoplanet detection instrumentation. Szentgyorgyi’s most significant contribution is the development of Hectospec, the MMT’s 300 optical fiber-fed spectrograph, which revolutionized astronomical surveys by enabling simultaneous observation of 300 targets with robotic fiber positioning accurate to ~25 microns—a feat that has garnered over 382 citations. He also led the creation of Hectochelle, a multi-object echelle spectrograph that shares Hectospec’s robotic positioner, pushing the boundaries of high-resolution spectroscopy. Beyond these flagship instruments, Szentgyorgyi has been instrumental in the Miniature Exoplanet Radial Velocity Array (MINERVA), a robotic facility dedicated to exoplanet discovery, and is currently advancing the Giant Magellan Telescope’s instrumentation, including the GMT-Consortium Large Earth Finder (G-CLEF) and the MANIFEST multi-object fiber system. With over 650 total citations across his most-cited works, his impact is measured not only in numbers but in the transformative capabilities he has delivered to the astronomical community, enabling discoveries from stellar populations to exoplanets.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Hectospec, the MMT’s 300 Optical Fiber‐Fed Spectrograph

   382 citations · 2005
2. 2
   Hectochelle: A Multiobject Optical Echelle Spectrograph for the MMT

   67 citations · 2011
3. 3
   <title>Construction of the Hectospec: 300 optical fiber-fed spectrograph for the converted MMT</title>

   64 citations · 1998
4. 4
   Miniature Exoplanet Radial Velocity Array I: design, commissioning, and early photometric results

   37 citations · 2015
5. 5
   The 6.5-m MMT's f/5 wide-field optics and instruments

   25 citations · 2004
6. 6
   Precision of Radial Velocity Surveys using Multiobject Spectrographs — Experiences with Hectochelle

   23 citations · 2008
7. 7
   <title>Hectospec: a 300-optical-fiber spectrograph for the converted MMT</title>

   18 citations · 1994
8. 8
   Instrumentation progress at the Giant Magellan Telescope project

   14 citations · 2016
9. 9
   The MANIFEST prototyping design study

   12 citations · 2016
10. 10
    The prototype cameras for trans-Neptunian automatic occultation survey

    12 citations · 2016

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links