High resolution imaging with Adaptive Optics (AO) is one of the main scientific drivers for the twin infra-red optimized 8m telescopes of the Gemini Observatory. The "conventional" Laser Guide Star system will use a single 10W-class laser beacon, enabling good AO correction on-axis only. Widening the AO-corrected field-of-view from a radius of few arc seconds to a radius of one arc minute will take place as a next step at the Gemini South telescope where a Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics (MCAO) system is planned. Although MCAO will use five laser beacons instead of one, all LGS subsystems are fairly similar in design to their ALTAIR counterparts. For a single laser guidestar adaptive optics system such as ALTAIR, the CW mode-locked scheme is attractive. Five identical nonlinear stages would be implemented to produce the five 10W-class laser beams for MCAO.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Laser guide star conventional and multiconjugate adaptive optics at the Gemini Observatory: from one sodium laser beacon to five


    Contributors:


    Publication date :

    2003-01-01


    Size :

    93698 byte




    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English



    Preliminary optomechanical design and analysis of the Gemini multiconjugate adaptive optics bench

    Meeks, Robert L. / Lopez, Javier / Nickerson, Mark et al. | SPIE | 2004


    Multiconjugate adaptive optics: a laboratory demonstrator

    Saunter, C.D. / Dunlop, C.N. / Langlois, M. et al. | IEEE | 2003


    Laser Beacon Adaptive Optics

    Fugate, R. Q. | British Library Online Contents | 1993



    High-power solid-state sodium laser guidestar for the Gemini North Observatory

    Tracy, A.J. / Hankia, A.K. / Lopez, C.A. et al. | IEEE | 2004