Exp Astron (2017) 43:167–176 DOI 10.1007/s10686-017-9526-5 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Two simple image slicers for high resolution spectroscopy M. Tala 1,5 · L. Vanzi 2 · G. Avila 3 · C. Guirao 3 · E. Pecchioli 4 · A. Zapata 2 · F. Pieralli 4 Received: 11 April 2016 / Accepted: 16 January 2017 / Published online: 26 January 2017 © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2017 Abstract We present the design, manufacturing, test and performance of two image slicers for high resolution spectroscopy. Based on the classical Bowen-Walraven con- cept, our slicers allow to make two slices of the image of the input fibre. We introduce the idea of a second fibre that can be cropped in half to reach the same width of the science target fibre and that can be used for simultaneous wavelength reference. The slicers presented are mirror and prism based, respectively. Both devices work within expectation, showing differences mainly in their efficiency. The prism based slicer is the solution that was adopted for the FIDEOS spectrograph, an instrument built by the AIUC for the ESO 1m telescope of La Silla. Test spectra obtained with this instrument are included as examples of a real application of the device. Keywords Image Slicer · Optical fibres · High-resolution spectroscopy  M. Tala matala@uc.cl L. Vanzi lvanzi@ing.puc.cl 1 Center of Astro Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Cat´ olica de Chile, Santiago, Chile 2 Department of Electrical Engineering and Center of Astro Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Cat´ olica de Chile, Santiago, Chile 3 European Southern Observatory, Garching, Germany 4 Pecchioli Research S.R.L., Firenze, Italy 5 Landessternwarte, Zentrum f¨ ur Astronomie der Universit¨ at Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany