Presentation + Paper
27 August 2024 Adaptive optics at Gemini observatories: past, present, and future
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
Gemini Observatory operates twin 8m telescopes, one located in the Southern hemisphere, on Cerro Pachón in Chile, and one located in the Northern hemisphere, on Maunakea in Hawai’i. Currently, the Observatory operates 2 Adaptive Optics (AO) systems. Gemini South is equipped with the Gemini Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics System (GeMS), a wide field AO system, operating with 5 laser-guide stars and providing a uniform image quality (10% to 30% Strehl Ratio in the 1 to 2.5μm range) over an 85”x85” field-of-view. The ALTitude conjugate Adaptive optics for the InfraRed NGS/LGS Single-Conjugate Adaptive Optics system which operates in the 1 to 2.5μm range is located at Gemini North. A new AO workhorse facility is currently being developed for Gemini North, the Gemini North Adaptive Optics system (GNAO) which will feed the Gemini Infrared Multi-Object Spectrograph (GIRMOS). GNAO has a wide-field mode with improved image quality over a 2 arcminute field-of-view (FoV), and a laser tomography mode with diffraction-limited performance over a 20”x20” FoV. GIRMOS implements multi-object adaptive optics for each of its four integral field spectrographs; it also contains a near infrared imager, which can benefit from both wide and narrowfield AO capabilities. In addition, the Gemini Planetary Imager completed its science mission at Gemini South, is currently being upgraded (GPI2.0) and is planned to be installed at Gemini North in 2025. A wide-field Ground-Layer Adaptive Optics feasibility study using an Adaptive Secondary Mirror has been completed and preparations for a Conceptual Design Study are underway. This paper summarizes our operational adaptive optics (AO) facilities, the status of our ongoing AO development projects, and finally our longer-range observatory AO roadmap.
Conference Presentation
© (2024) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Célia Blain, Julian C. Christou, Christophe Clergeon, Ruben Diaz, Aurea Garcia-Rissmann, Vincent Garrel, Stephen Goodsell, Masen Lamb, Garima Singh, and Gaetano Sivo "Adaptive optics at Gemini observatories: past, present, and future", Proc. SPIE 13097, Adaptive Optics Systems IX, 130970M (27 August 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3019127
Advertisement
Advertisement
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission  Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace
KEYWORDS
Adaptive optics

Gemini Observatory

Equipment

Telescopes

Design

Gemini Planet Imager

Imaging systems

RELATED CONTENT


Back to Top