Ellen Schallig

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Ellen Schallig is an instrumental astronomer whose work has been pivotal to the development of WEAVE, the new wide-field spectroscopy facility for the William Herschel Telescope in La Palma. Her primary research focus lies in fiber-positioning technology for multi-object spectrographs, a critical component for modern astronomical surveys. Schallig’s major contributions center on the final assembly, metrology, and testing of WEAVE’s complex fibre positioner, a system responsible for the precise placement of 960 optical fibers to capture light from thousands of celestial targets simultaneously. Her 2020 paper on this topic, with 6 citations, provides a comprehensive overview of the engineering challenges and solutions involved in ensuring the positioner’s accuracy and reliability. Earlier work, including her 2016 paper on developments in fiber-positioning technology, laid the groundwork for this achievement. Schallig’s technical expertise has been essential to WEAVE’s success, enabling the instrument to deliver high-throughput spectroscopy for studies ranging from Galactic archaeology to galaxy evolution. Her meticulous work in metrology and testing ensures that WEAVE will remain a cornerstone facility for the astronomical community, demonstrating her lasting impact on observational instrumentation.