Christoph Frank

MAD status report

The European Southern Observatory together with external research Institutes is building a Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics Demonstrator (MAD) to perform wide field of view adaptive optics correction. The aim of MAD is to demonstrate on the sky the feasibility of the MCAO technique and to evaluate all the critical aspects in building such kind of instrument in the framework of both the 2nd generation VLT instrumentation and the 100-m Overwhelmingly Large Telescope (OWL). The MAD module will be installed at one of the VLT unit telescope in Paranal to perform on-sky observations. MAD is based on a two deformable mirrors correction system and on two multi-reference wavefront sensors capable to observe simultaneously some pre-selected configurations of Natural Guide Stars. MAD is expected to correct up to 2 arcmin field of view in K band. MAD has just started the integration phase which will be followed up by a long period of testing. In this paper we present the final design of MAD with a brief report about the status of the integration.

MAD star oriented: laboratory results for ground layer and multi-conjugate adaptive optics

The Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics Demonstrator (MAD) built by ESO with the contribution of two external consortia is a powerful test bench for proving the feasibility of Ground Layer (GLAO) and Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics (MCAO) techniques both in the laboratory and on the sky. The MAD module will be installed at one of the VLT unit telescope in Paranal observatory to perform on-sky observations. MAD is based on a two deformable mirrors correction system and on two multi-reference wavefront sensors (Star Oriented and Layer Oriented) capable to observe simultaneously some pre-selected configurations of Natural Guide Stars. MAD is expected to correct up to 2 arcmin field of view in K band. MAD is completing the test phase in the Star Oriented mode based on Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing. The GLAO and MCAO loops have been successfully closed on simulated atmosphere after a long phase of careful system characterization and calibration. In this paper we present the results obtained in laboratory for GLAO and MCAO corrections testing with bright guide star flux in Star Oriented mode paying also attention to the aspects involving the calibration of such a system. A short overview of the MAD system is also given.

MAD on sky results in star oriented mode

The Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics Demonstrator (MAD) built by ESO with the contribution of two external consortia is a powerful test bench for proving the feasibility of Multi-Conjugate (MCAO) and Ground Layer Adaptive Optics (GLAO) techniques both in the laboratory and on the sky. MAD is based on a two deformable mirrors correction system and on two multi-reference wavefront sensors (Star Oriented and Layer Oriented) capable to observe simultaneously some pre-selected configurations of Natural Guide Stars. MAD corrects up to 2 arcmin field of view in K band. After a long laboratory test phase, it has been installed at the VLT and it successfully performed on-sky demonstration runs on several astronomical targets for evaluating the correction performance under different atmospheric turbulence conditions. In this paper we present the results obtained on the sky in Star Oriented mode for MCAO and GLAO configurations and we correlate them with different atmospheric turbulence parameters. Finally we compare some of the on-sky results with numerical simulations including real turbulence profile measured at the moment of the observations.

The design of ERIS for the VLT

The Enhanced Resolution Imager and Spectrograph (ERIS) is the next-generation instrument planned for the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the Adaptive Optics Facility (AOF)1. It is an AO assisted instrument that will make use of the Deformable Secondary Mirror and the new Laser Guide Star Facility (4LGSF), and it is designed for the Cassegrain focus of the telescope UT4. The project just concluded its conceptual design phase and is awaiting formal approval to continue to the next phase. ERIS will offer 1-5 μm imaging and 1-2.5 μm integral field spectroscopic capabilities with high Strehl performance. As such it will replace, with much improved single conjugated AO correction, the most scientifically important and popular observing capabilities currently offered by NACO2 (diffraction limited imaging in JM band, Sparse Aperture Masking and APP coronagraphy) and by SINFONI3, whose instrumental module, SPIFFI, will be re-used in ERIS. The Cassegrain location and the performance requirements impose challenging demands on the project, from opto-mechanical design to cryogenics to the operational concept. In this paper we describe the baseline design proposed for ERIS and discuss these technical challenges, with particular emphasis on the trade-offs and the novel solutions proposed for building ERIS.

Design and performances of the Shack-Hartmann sensor within the Active Phasing Experiment

The Shack-Hartmann Phasing Sensor (SHAPS) has been integrated in the Active Phasing Experiment (APE) at ESO. It is currently under test in the laboratory. The tests on sky are foreseen for the end of 2008, when APE will be mounted at the Nasmyth focus of one of the VLT unit telescopes. SHAPS is based on the Shack-Hartmann principle: the lenslet array is located in a plane which is optically conjugated to the Active Segmented Mirror (ASM) of APE and is composed of two types of microlenses, circular and cylindrical, which give information about the wavefront slope and the piston steps, respectively. This proceeding contains a description of SHAPS and of the algorithms implemented for the wavefront reconstruction and for the phasing. The preliminary results obtained during the laboratory tests are discussed and compared with the theoretical predictions. The performances of SHAPS at the VLT and at the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) are estimated.

Active hexagonally segmented mirror to investigate new optical phasing technologies for segmented telescopes

The primary mirror of the future European Extremely Large Telescope will be equipped with 984 hexagonal segments. The alignment of the segments in piston, tip, and tilt within a few nanometers requires an optical phasing sensor. A test bench has been designed to study four different optical phasing sensor technologies. The core element of the test bench is an active segmented mirror composed of 61 flat hexagonal segments with a size of 17 mm side to side. Each of them can be controlled in piston, tip, and tilt by three piezoactuators with a precision better than 1 nm. The context of this development, the requirements, the design, and the integration of this system are explained. The first results on the final precision obtained in closed-loop control are also presented.

ERIS: preliminary design phase overview

The Enhanced Resolution Imager and Spectrograph (ERIS) is the next-generation adaptive optics near-IR imager and spectrograph for the Cassegrain focus of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) Unit Telescope 4, which will soon make full use of the Adaptive Optics Facility (AOF). It is a high-Strehl AO-assisted instrument that will use the Deformable Secondary Mirror (DSM) and the new Laser Guide Star Facility (4LGSF). The project has been approved for construction and has entered its preliminary design phase. ERIS will be constructed in a collaboration including the Max- Planck Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich and the Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri and will offer 1 - 5 μm imaging and 1 - 2.5 μm integral field spectroscopic capabilities with a high Strehl performance. Wavefront sensing can be carried out with an optical high-order NGS Pyramid wavefront sensor, or with a single laser in either an optical low-order NGS mode, or with a near-IR low-order mode sensor. Due to its highly sensitive visible wavefront sensor, and separate near-IR low-order mode, ERIS provides a large sky coverage with its 1’ patrol field radius that can even include AO stars embedded in dust-enshrouded environments. As such it will replace, with a much improved single conjugated AO correction, the most scientifically important imaging modes offered by NACO (diffraction limited imaging in the J to M bands, Sparse Aperture Masking and Apodizing Phase Plate (APP) coronagraphy) and the integral field spectroscopy modes of SINFONI, whose instrumental module, SPIFFI, will be upgraded and re-used in ERIS. As part of the SPIFFI upgrade a new higher resolution grating and a science detector replacement are envisaged, as well as PLC driven motors. To accommodate ERIS at the Cassegrain focus, an extension of the telescope back focal length is required, with modifications of the guider arm assembly. In this paper we report on the status of the baseline design. We will also report on the main science goals of the instrument, ranging from exoplanet detection and characterization to high redshift galaxy observations. We will also briefly describe the SINFONI-SPIFFI upgrade strategy, which is part of the ERIS development plan and the overall project timeline.

Shack-Hartmann sensor for the active phasing experiment

The purpose of the Active Phasing Experiment, designed at ESO, is to validate wavefront control concepts for ELT class telescopes. This instrument includes an Active Segmented Mirror, located in a pupil image. It will be mounted at a Nasmyth focus of one of the unit telescopes of the ESO VLT. The Active Phasing Experiment will compare four types of phasing sensor. One of them is based on the Shack-Hartmann principle. The lenslets in the array will be placed on intersegment borders for the measurement of piston steps, as well and inside the subapertures defined by the segments for the measurement of local slopes generated by the segments and the telescope optics. The paper describes the design of the sensor optics and the lenslet array, and discusses the expected performance of the sensor under laboratory conditions and in the telescope.

ASM: a scaled down Active Segmented Mirror for the Active Phasing Experiment

The construction of extremely large telescope is only possible with a segmented primary mirror. The phasing of the primary mirror due to its size and its number of segments is a main concern at the European Southern Observatory. The European Southern Observatory has developed a test bench called Active Phasing Experiment to study new phasing technology and new telescope control system. The key subsystem of this experiment is a scaled down Active Segmented Mirror (ASM) composed of sixty-one hexagonal segments of seventeen millimeters side to side. Each hexagonal mirror can all be controlled in piston, tip and tilt. The integration of this jewel piece of opto-mechanic started after the successful results obtained with the manufacturing of a prototype composed of only seven modules.

Prefocal station mechanical design concept study for the E-ELT

The Nasmyth platforms of the E-ELT will contain one Prefocal Station (PFS) each. The main PFS functional requirements are to provide a focal plane to the three Nasmyth focal stations and the Coudé focus, optical sensing supporting telescope low order optimisation and seeing limited image quality, and optical sensing supporting characterising and phasing of M1 and other telescope subsystems. The PFS user requirements are used to derive the PFS technical requirements specification that will form the basis for design, development and production of the system. This specification process includes high-level architectural decisions and technical performance budget allocations. The mechanical design concepts reported here have been developed in order to validate key system specifications and associated technical budgets.