Abstract
A solution to the problem of wavelength calibration for Hamilton echelle spectrographs using a hollow cathode lamp operating at the Lick Observatory Shane telescope until June 9, 2011 is presented. The spectrum of the nominally thorium—argon lamp also contains, in addition to lines of thorium and argon, a number of unknown lines identified with tantalum. Atomic data for measured lines of tantalum and thorium are used to estimate the temperature of the gas in the lamp, T = 3120 ± 60 K. All all lines of TaI and TaII visible in the lamp spectrum have been selected from the VALD3 atomic line database, and a list compiled for use in the processing of spectral observations. The accuracy of this calibration approach is limited by the influence of hyperfine line splitting.
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