Design considerations of the AO module for the Gemini South multiconjugate adaptive optics system

Abstract

The adaptive optics system for the Gemini South telescope, currently in the design phase, consists of several major subsystem. The largest subsystem, called the AO module, contains most of the optics and electronics and is mounted on one of the Cassegrain instrument ports. The initial system will be a conventional laser guide star AO system, but the plan is to eventually expand it to a multi-conjugate system. The system is being designed to readily add the components necessary to upgrade to a multi-conjugate system. This paper describes the design challenges encountered and solutions that were derived for the AO module design. The complexity of the multiconjugate version is illustrated, including optical, mechanical, electronic and controls issues.

MCAO for Gemini South

“…1 The overall GSAO project is now transitioning into the detailed design and fabrication phase. The RTC contract has been awarded to the Optical Sciences Company as stated previously, and the detailed design work for the LLT is already well underway.…”

“…Another program, led by the University of Chicago (UoC) in an industrial partnership with Lite Cycles of Tucson, AZ, consisted of refurbishing the UoC 800Hz macro-micro pulsed sum-frequency laser to produce higher laser outputs in the 20-40W range. Although delays in the fabrication of three newly-designed gain modules for the 1 Parallel laser R&D programs lead by other groups, such as the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)/European Southern Observatory (ESO) 0.94+1.58 micron sum-frequency fiber laser effort, have also shown very promising results towards building a 10W prototype. Even though progress always seems slow when compared to the urgent needs of the community in general and the Gemini Observatory in particular, research in sodium laser R&D is progressing well, and hope to see powerful, efficient, and reliable sodium lasers in the mid-term future is rising.…”

“…Further details on the complete AOM may be found in an accompanying paper in this volume. 1 The Optical Bench consists of the opto-mechanical components of the AOM and the associated sensors, mechanisms, and motors. Figure 4 is a schematic illustrating its principal optical components.…”

Gemini multiconjugate adaptive optics system review - I. Design, trade-offs and integration

“…• The optical bench (Canopus) including all optomechanics and the NGS WFS were built by Electro Optics System Technologies (EOST) (James et al 2003).…”

Correctability limitations imposed by spherical-wave scintillation in multi-conjugate adaptive optics

“…A number of next-generation imaging systems are pursuing multi-conjugate adaptive optics (MCAO) to enhance classical single-conjugate adaptive optics (SCAO) 1,2,3 . This technology is distinguished by the use of multiple wavefront correctors, conjugated to distinct ranges, to compensate for aberrations that are distributed along an optical path.…”