Luca Fini

Large Binocular Telescope Adaptive Optics System: new achievements and perspectives in adaptive optics

The Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) is a unique telescope featuring two co-mounted optical trains with 8.4m primary mirrors. The telescope Adaptive Optics (AO) system uses two innovative key components, namely an adaptive secondary mirror with 672 actuators and a high-order pyramid wave-front sensor. During the on-sky commissioning such a system reached performances never achieved before on large ground-based optical telescopes. Images with 40mas resolution and Strehl Ratios higher than 80% have been acquired in H band (1.6 μm). Such images showed a contrast as high as 10-4. Based on these results, we compare the performances offered by a Natural Guide Star (NGS) system upgraded with the state-of-the-art technology and those delivered by existing Laser Guide Star (LGS) systems. The comparison, in terms of sky coverage and performances, suggests rethinking the current role ascribed to NGS and LGS in the next generation of AO systems for the 8-10 meter class telescopes and Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs).

The adaptive secondary mirror for the Large Binocular Telescope: optical acceptance test and preliminary on-sky commissioning results

The Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) has two adaptive secondary mirrors based on 672 voice-coil force actuators. The shape of the mirror is controlled using internal metrology based on co-located capacitive sensors. The first mirror unit is currently mounted on LBT for on-sky commissioning as part of the First Light Adaptive Optics System (FLAO). During spring-time 2009 the optical acceptance test was performed using the 14-m optical test tower at the Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri (INAF) showing the capability of flattening the shell at the level of 14nm rms residual surface error. This paper reports the optical layout, calibration procedures and results of the optical acceptance test. Moreover we report the first results obtained during the early runs of FLAO commissioning showing the ability of the mirror to compensate for atmospheric turbulence with extremely high Strehl ratio values (better than 80% in H-band) as permitted by the largest number of correcting degrees of freedom currently available on-sky for astronomical telescopes.

Restoration of interferometric images - I. The software package AIRY

The Software Package AIRY (Astronomical Image Restoration in interferometrY) described in this paper is designed for simulation and/or multiple deconvolution of interferometric images. It was conceived for applications to the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), but can also be used for future interferometers of the same class. AIRY is modular, IDL-based, and designed to be used together with the CAOS (Code for Adaptive Optics Systems) Application Builder. As concerns multiple deconvolution AIRY includes an implementation of the method OS-EM (Ordered Subsets-Expectation Maximization) which is an accelerated version of the Lucy-Richardson method. After a description of the structure and modules of the software package, its use is illustrated with a few applications. In particular the intrinsic performance of the implemented restoration method is explored in the case of binary stars of different angular separations and magnitude differences, as well as in the case of a diffuse object. The possibility of obtaining super-resolved images of unresolved binary stars is also demonstrated.

The Giant Magellan Telescope adaptive optics program

The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) adaptive optics (AO) system will be an integral part of the telescope, providing laser guidestar generation, wavefront sensing, and wavefront correction to every instrument currently planned on the 25.4 m diameter GMT. There will be three first generation AO observing modes: Natural Guidestar, Laser Tomography, and Ground Layer AO. All three will use a segmented adaptive secondary mirror to deliver a corrected beam directly to the instruments. The Natural Guidestar mode will provide extreme AO performance, with a total wavefront error less than 185 nm RMS using bright guidestars. The Laser Tomography mode uses 6 lasers and a single off-axis natural guidestar to deliver better than 290 nm RMS wavefront error at the science target, over 50% of the sky at the galactic pole. The Ground Layer mode uses 4 natural guidestars on the periphery of the science field to tomographically reconstruct and correct the ground layer AO turbulence, improving the image quality for wide-field instruments. A phasing system maintains the relative alignment of the primary and secondary segments using edge sensors and continuous feedback from an off-axis guidestar. We describe the AO system preliminary design, predicted performance, and the remaining technical challenges as we move towards the start of construction.

Natural guide star adaptive optics systems at LBT: FLAO commissioning and science operations status

This paper summarizes the activities and the principal results achieved during the commissioning of the two Natural Guide Star (NGS) AO systems called FLAO#1 & 2 installed at the bent Gregorian focal stations of the 2x8.4m Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). The commissioning activities of FLAO#1 took place in the period February 2010 - October 2011, while FLAO#2 commissioning started in December 2011 and should be completed by November 2012. The main results of the commissioning campaign are presented in terms of the H-band Strehl Ratio values achieved under different observing conditions. We will also describe the automatic procedures to configure and set-up the FLAO systems, and in particular the modal gain optimization procedure, which has been proven to be a very important one in achieving the nominal performance. Finally, some of the results achieved in two science runs using the near infra-red camera PISCES are briefly highlighted.

Adaptive secondary P30 prototype: laboratory results

We present the result of electrical and optical measurements performed on a reduced size adaptive secondary prototype named P30. The design of this concave deformable mirror consists of a thin deformable glass shell whose figure is controlled by electromagnetic actuators and capacitive position senors. Static measurements of the mirror optical figure, performed with a commercial interferometer, have provided the calibration of the internal position sensor. Dynamic test were performed to experimentally derive the mechanical response of the mirror to the electromagnetic actuators in order to design the mirror closed loop control law. The test, although performed on a reduced scale, are representative of the complexity and capabilities of the full size mirror. In fact, all the key-elements of the full size mirror, i.e. central supporting membrane, actuator spacing closed loop control of the device, have been implemented on the prototype.

MOSE: operational forecast of the optical turbulence and atmospheric parameters at European Southern Observatory ground-based sites – I. Overview and vertical stratification of atmospheric parameters at 0–20 km

We present the overview of the MOSE project (MOdeling ESO Sites) aiming at proving the feasibility of the forecast of the classical atmospherical parameters (wind speed intensity and direction, temperature, relative humidity) and the optical turbulence OT (C N profiles and the most relevant integrated astro-climatic parameters derived from the C N : the seeing ε, the isoplanatic angle θ0 , the wavefront coherence time τ0 ) above the two ESO ground-based sites of Cerro Paranal and Cerro Armazones. The final outcome of the study is to investigate the opportunity to implement an automatic system for the forecast of these parameters at these sites. In this paper we present results related to the Meso-Nh model ability in reconstructing the vertical stratification of the atmospherical parameters along the 20 km above the ground. The very satisfactory performances shown by the model in reconstructing most of these parameters (and in particular the wind speed) put this tool of investigation as the most suitable to be used in astronomical observatories to support AO facilities and to calculate the temporal evolution of the wind speed and the wavefront coherence time at whatever temporal sampling. The further great advantage of this solution is that such estimates can be available in advance (order of some hours) with respect to the time of interest.

Performance of the first-light adaptive optics system of LBT by means of CAOS simulations

This presentation reports the numerical simulations we have done in order to evaluate the performance of the first-light AO system of LBT. The simulation tool used for this purpose is the Software Package CAOS, applicable for a wide range of AO systems and for which a brief recall of the main features is made. The whole process of atmospheric propagation of light, wavefront sensing (using a complete model of the pyramid wavefront sensor), wavefront reconstruction using the LBT672 adaptive secondary mirror modes), and closing of the loop, is simulated. The results are given in terms of obtained Strehl ratios in J-, H-, and K-band. Estimation of the resulting sky-coverage in K-band for different regions of the sky are also expressed. A comparison with the performance that would be obtained by using a Shack-Hartmann sensor is presented, confirming the gain achievable with the pyramid sensor.

The Absolute Age of the Globular Cluster M15 Using Near-infrared Adaptive Optics Images from PISCES/LBT.

We present deep near-infrared (NIR) J, Ks photometry of the old, metal-poor Galactic globular cluster M\,15 obtained with images collected with the LUCI1 and PISCES cameras available at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). We show how the use of First Light Adaptive Optics system coupled with the (FLAO) PISCES camera allows us to improve the limiting magnitude by ~2 mag in Ks. By analyzing archival HST data, we demonstrate that the quality of the LBT/PISCES color magnitude diagram is fully comparable with analogous space-based data. The smaller field of view is balanced by the shorter exposure time required to reach a similar photometric limit. We investigated the absolute age of M\,15 by means of two methods: i) by determining the age from the position of the main sequence turn-off; and ii) by the magnitude difference between the MSTO and the well-defined knee detected along the faint portion of the MS. We derive consistent values of the absolute age of M15, that is 12.9+-2.6 Gyr and 13.3+-1.1 Gyr, respectively.

MOSE: operational forecast of the optical turbulence and atmospheric parameters at European Southern Observatory ground-based sites – II. Atmospheric parameters in the surface layer 0–30 m

This article is the second of a series of articles aiming at proving the feasibility of the forecast of all the most relevant classical atmospherical parameters for astronomical applications (wind speed and direction, temperature, relative humidity) and the optical turbulence (C N and the derived astro-climatic parameters like seeing ε, isoplanatic angle θ0, wavefront coherence time τ0...). This study is done in the framework of the MOSE project, and focused above the two ESO ground-bases sites of Cerro Paranal and Cerro Armazones. In this paper we present the results related to the Meso-Nh model ability in reconstructing the surface layer atmospherical parameters (wind speed intensity, wind direction and absolute temperature, [0-30] m a. g. l.). The model reconstruction of all the atmospherical parameters in the surface layer is very satisfactory. For the temperature, at all levels, the RMSE (Root Mean Square Error) is inferior to 1◦C. For the wind speed, it is ∼2 m·s, and for the wind direction, it is in the range [38-46◦], at all levels, that corresponds to a RMSErelative in a range [21-26%]. If a filter is applied for the wind direction (the winds inferior to 3 m·s are discarded from the computations), the wind direction RMSE is in the range [3041◦], i.e. a RMSErelative in the range [17-23%]. The model operational forecast of the surface layer atmospherical parameters is suitable for different applications, among others: thermalization of the dome using the reconstructed temperature, hours in advance, of the beginning the night; knowing in advance the main direction which the strong winds will come from during the night could allow the astronomer to anticipate the occurrence of a good/bad seeing night, and plan the observations accordingly; preventing adaptive secondary mirrors shake generated by the wind speed.