Rise of the machines: Robo-AO and the evolution of adaptive optics

September 9, 2012

When: September 9, 2012 3:30PM

Caltech

The 60-inch telescope at Palomar Observatory is host to Robo-AO, the first automated laser adaptive optics system in the world. By fully robotizing and sequencing this complex opto-electronic machine, we are able to execute large scale surveys, monitor long-term astrophysical dynamics and characterize newly discovered transients, all at the visible diffraction limit. Robo-AO is now wrapping up a month-long science demonstration in addition to seven other shared-risk programs. A clone of Robo-AO is in development for the 2-m IGO telescope in India, as well as a laser-less variant for the 1-m telescope at Table Mountain, CA. A low-noise wide-field infrared imager and tip-tilt sensor will be added to the Palomar system in mid-2013 to increase the available sky coverage and allow deeper visible imaging using AO sharpened infrared tip-tilt guide sources.

Christoph Baranec

Dr. Baranec is the principal investigator for the Robo-AO robotic laser adaptive optics and science system. Robo-AO will enable diffraction limited imaging in the visible and infrared for up to hundreds of targets per night and will enable unique large scale surveys and rapid imaging not feasible on large aperture telescope AO systems. He has designed and built the high-order wavefront sensor for Palomar Observatory's PALM-3000 extreme adaptive optics system. PALM-3000 will overcome the blurring effects of the Earth's atmosphere to unprecedented levels, enabling the direct imaging of worlds in orbit around nearby stars. PALM- 3000's high-order wavefront sensor saw 'first-light' on March 22nd, 2011, closing the adaptive optics loop with the low-order deformable mirror. Shortly thereafter on June 22nd, full AO correction was achieved with the 3.3 kilo- actuator deformable mirror. The focus of his graduate research was to build and commission the MMT's multiple laser guide star adaptive optics system.

Seminar