GLAS: engineering a common-user Rayleigh laser guide star for adaptive optics on the William Herschel Telescope

Gordon Talbot; Don Carlos Abrams; Nikolaos Apostolakos; Richard Bassom; Colin Blackburn; Maarten Blanken; Diego Cano Infantes; Alan Chopping; Kevin Dee; Nigel Dipper; Eddy Elswijk; Bernard Enthoven; Thomas Gregory; Rik ter Horst; Ron Humphreys; Jan Idserda; Paul Jolley; Sjouke Kuindersma; Richard McDermid; Tim Morris; Richard Myers; Sergio Pico; Johan Pragt; Simon Rees; Jürg Rey; Marcos Reyes; René Rutten; Ton Schoenmaker; Jure Skvarc; Niels Tromp; Simon Tulloch; Auke Veninga

doi:10.1117/12.669942

28 June 2006 GLAS: engineering a common-user Rayleigh laser guide star for adaptive optics on the William Herschel Telescope

Gordon Talbot, Don Carlos Abrams, Nikolaos Apostolakos, Richard Bassom, Colin Blackburn, Maarten Blanken, Diego Cano Infantes, Alan Chopping, Kevin Dee, Nigel Dipper, Eddy Elswijk, Bernard Enthoven, Thomas Gregory, Rik ter Horst, Ron Humphreys, Jan Idserda, Paul Jolley, Sjouke Kuindersma, Richard McDermid, Tim Morris, Richard Myers, Sergio Pico, Johan Pragt, Simon Rees, Jürg Rey, Marcos Reyes, René Rutten, Ton Schoenmaker, Jure Skvarc, Niels Tromp, Simon Tulloch, Auke Veninga

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Proceedings Volume 6272, Advances in Adaptive Optics II; 62722H (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.669942
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2006, Orlando, Florida , United States

Abstract

The GLAS (Ground-layer Laser Adaptive-optics System) project is to construct a common-user Rayleigh laser beacon that will work in conjunction with the existing NAOMI adaptive optics system, instruments (near IR imager INGRID, optical integral field spectrograph OASIS, coronagraph OSCA) and infrastructure at the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope (WHT) on La Palma. The laser guide star system will increase sky coverage available to high-order adaptive optics from ~1% to approaching 100% and will be optimized for scientific exploitation of the OASIS integral-field spectrograph at optical wavelengths. Additionally GLAS will be used in on-sky experiments for the application of laser beacons to ELTs. This paper describes the full range of engineering of the project ranging through the laser launch system, wavefront sensors, computer control, mechanisms, diagnostics, CCD detectors and the safety system. GLAS is a fully funded project, with final design completed and all equipment ordered, including the laser. Integration has started on the WHT and first light is expected summer 2006.

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Gordon Talbot, Don Carlos Abrams, Nikolaos Apostolakos, Richard Bassom, Colin Blackburn, Maarten Blanken, Diego Cano Infantes, Alan Chopping, Kevin Dee, Nigel Dipper, Eddy Elswijk, Bernard Enthoven, Thomas Gregory, Rik ter Horst, Ron Humphreys, Jan Idserda, Paul Jolley, Sjouke Kuindersma, Richard McDermid, Tim Morris, Richard Myers, Sergio Pico, Johan Pragt, Simon Rees, Jürg Rey, Marcos Reyes, René Rutten, Ton Schoenmaker, Jure Skvarc, Niels Tromp, Simon Tulloch, and Auke Veninga "GLAS: engineering a common-user Rayleigh laser guide star for adaptive optics on the William Herschel Telescope", Proc. SPIE 6272, Advances in Adaptive Optics II, 62722H (28 June 2006); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.669942

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