A ground-layer AO system demonstrator for the William Herschel Telescope

Timothy J. Morris; Paul Berry; Timothy Butterley; Paul Clark; Colin N. Dunlop; Richard M. Myers; Christopher D. Saunter; Richard W. Wilson

doi:10.1117/12.551252

25 October 2004 A ground-layer AO system demonstrator for the William Herschel Telescope

Timothy J. Morris, Paul Berry, Timothy Butterley, Paul Clark, Colin N. Dunlop, Richard M. Myers, Christopher D. Saunter, Richard W. Wilson

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 5490, Advancements in Adaptive Optics; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.551252
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2004, Glasgow, United Kingdom

Abstract

An experimental Ground Layer Adaptive Optics system utilizing a low-altitude Rayleigh Laser Guide Star is presented. This demonstrator is designed for the GHRIL Nasmyth platform of the 4.2m William Herschel Telescope, where it uses a low-altitude (~4km) focused-spot 523nm Rayleigh-scatter beacon, launched from behind the secondary mirror using an independent beam launch telescope. A novel range-gate is used to select the LGS return altitude for wavefront sensing, whilst wavefront correction uses a 97-actuator continuous phase sheet deformable mirror and separate tip-tilt mirror. The performance can be monitored on-axis and off-axis. These and other aspects of the demonstration system are described in detail, including optical design, laser launch technique, laboratory performance, and a preliminary assessment of potential on-sky performance.

Citation Download Citation

Timothy J. Morris, Paul Berry, Timothy Butterley, Paul Clark, Colin N. Dunlop, Richard M. Myers, Christopher D. Saunter, and Richard W. Wilson "A ground-layer AO system demonstrator for the William Herschel Telescope", Proc. SPIE 5490, Advancements in Adaptive Optics, (25 October 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.551252

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