17 research outputs found
Optical and mechanical design of the extreme AO coronagraphic instrument MagAO-X
Here we review the current optical mechanical design of MagAO-X. The project
is post-PDR and has finished the design phase. The design presented here is the
baseline to which all the optics and mechanics have been fabricated. The
optical/mechanical performance of this novel extreme AO design will be
presented here for the first time. Some highlights of the design are: 1) a
floating, but height stabilized, optical table; 2) a Woofer tweeter (2040
actuator BMC MEMS DM) design where the Woofer can be the current f/16 MagAO ASM
or, more likely, fed by the facility f/11 static secondary to an ALPAO DM97
woofer; 3) 22 very compact optical mounts that have a novel locking clamp for
additional thermal and vibrational stability; 4) A series of four pairs of
super-polished off-axis parabolic (OAP) mirrors with a relatively wide FOV by
matched OAP clocking; 5) an advanced very broadband (0.5-1.7micron) ADC design;
6) A Pyramid (PWFS), and post-coronagraphic LOWFS NCP wavefront sensor; 7) a
vAPP coronagraph for starlight suppression. Currently all the OAPs have just
been delivered, and all the rest of the optics are in the lab. Most of the
major mechanical parts are in the lab or instrument, and alignment of the
optics has occurred for some of the optics (like the PWFS) and most of the
mounts. First light should be in 2019A.Comment: 10 pages, proc. SPIE 10703, Adaptive Optics IV, Austin TX, June 201
The space coronagraph optical bench (SCoOB): 2. wavefront sensing and control in a vacuum-compatible coronagraph testbed for spaceborne high-contrast imaging technology
The 2020 Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics endorsed space-based
high contrast imaging for the detection and characterization of habitable
exoplanets as a key priority for the upcoming decade. To advance the maturity
of starlight suppression techniques in a space-like environment, we are
developing the Space Coronagraph Optical Bench (SCoOB) at the University of
Arizona, a new thermal vacuum (TVAC) testbed based on the Coronagraphic Debris
Exoplanet Exploring Payload (CDEEP), a SmallSat mission concept for high
contrast imaging of circumstellar disks in scattered light. When completed, the
testbed will combine a vector vortex coronagraph (VVC) with a Kilo-C
microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) deformable mirror from Boston
Micromachines Corp (BMC) and a self-coherent camera (SCC) with a goal of raw
contrast surpassing at visible wavelengths. In this proceedings, we
report on our wavefront sensing and control efforts on this testbed in air,
including the as-built performance of the optical system and the implementation
of algorithms for focal-plane wavefront control and digging dark holes (regions
of high contrast in the focal plane) using electric field conjugation (EFC) and
related algorithms.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation
202
L'-band AGPM vector vortex coronagraph's first light on LBTI/LMIRCam
We present the first observations obtained with the L'-band AGPM vortex
coronagraph recently installed on LBTI/LMIRCam. The AGPM (Annular Groove Phase
Mask) is a vector vortex coronagraph made from diamond subwavelength gratings.
It is designed to improve the sensitivity and dynamic range of high-resolution
imaging at very small inner working angles, down to 0.09 arcseconds in the case
of LBTI/LMIRCam in the L' band. During the first hours on sky, we observed the
young A5V star HR\,8799 with the goal to demonstrate the AGPM performance and
assess its relevance for the ongoing LBTI planet survey (LEECH). Preliminary
analyses of the data reveal the four known planets clearly at high SNR and
provide unprecedented sensitivity limits in the inner planetary system (down to
the diffraction limit of 0.09 arcseconds).Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, SPIE proceeding
The MAPS Adaptive Secondary Mirror: First Light, Laboratory Work, and Achievements
The MMT Adaptive Optics exoPlanet Characterization System (MAPS) is a
comprehensive update to the first generation MMT adaptive optics system
(MMTAO), designed to produce a facility class suite of instruments whose
purpose is to image nearby exoplanets. The system's adaptive secondary mirror
(ASM), although comprised in part of legacy components from the MMTAO ASM,
represents a major leap forward in engineering, structure and function. The
subject of this paper is the design, operation, achievements and technical
issues of the MAPS adaptive secondary mirror. We discuss laboratory preparation
for on-sky engineering runs, the results of those runs and the issues we
discovered, what we learned about those issues in a follow-up period of
laboratory work, and the steps we are taking to mitigate them.Comment: 22 pages, 22 images, 2 tables, submitted to SPIE Proceedings
(Unconventional Imaging, Sensing and Adaptive Optics 2023 Conference
The Space Coronagraph Optical Bench (SCoOB): 1. Design and Assembly of a Vacuum-compatible Coronagraph Testbed for Spaceborne High-Contrast Imaging Technology
The development of spaceborne coronagraphic technology is of paramount
importance to the detection of habitable exoplanets in visible light. In space,
coronagraphs are able to bypass the limitations imposed by the atmosphere to
reach deeper contrasts and detect faint companions close to their host star. To
effectively test this technology in a flight-like environment, a high-contrast
imaging testbed must be designed for operation in a thermal vacuum (TVAC)
chamber. A TVAC-compatible high-contrast imaging testbed is undergoing
development at the University of Arizona inspired by a previous mission
concept: The Coronagraphic Debris and Exoplanet Exploring Payload (CDEEP). The
testbed currently operates at visible wavelengths and features a Boston
Micromachines Kilo-C DM for wavefront control. Both a vector vortex coronagraph
and a knife-edge Lyot coronagraph operating mode are under test. The optics
will be mounted to a 1 x 2 meter pneumatically isolated optical bench designed
to operate at 10^-8 torr and achieve raw contrasts of 10^-8 or better. The
validation of our optical surface quality, alignment procedure, and first light
results are presented. We also report on the status of the testbed's
integration in the vaccum chamber.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure
SOUL at LBT: commissioning results, science and future
The SOUL systems at the Large Bincoular Telescope can be seen such as
precursor for the ELT SCAO systems, combining together key technologies such as
EMCCD, Pyramid WFS and adaptive telescopes. After the first light of the first
upgraded system on September 2018, going through COVID and technical stops, we
now have all the 4 systems working on-sky. Here, we report about some key
control improvements and the system performance characterized during the
commissioning. The upgrade allows us to correct more modes (500) in the bright
end and increases the sky coverage providing SR(K)>20% with reference stars
G<17, opening to extragalcatic targets with NGS systems. Finally, we
review the first astrophysical results, looking forward to the next generation
instruments (SHARK-NIR, SHARK-Vis and iLocater), to be fed by the SOUL AO
correction.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, Adaptive Optics for Extremely Large Telescopes
7th Edition, 25-30 Jun 2023 Avignon (France
Testing and alignment of the LBTI
The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) has been developed and tested and is almost ready to be installed to LBT mount. In preparation for installation, testing of the beam combination and phasing of the system have been developed. The testing is currently in progress. The development of a telescope simulator for LBTI has allowed verification of phasing and alignment with a broad band source at 10 microns2. Vibration tests with the LBTI mounted to the LBT were carried out in July 2008, with both seismic accelerometers and an internal optical interferometric measurement. The results have allowed identification of potential vibration sources on the telescope. Plans for a Star Simulator that illuminates each LBT aperture at the prime focus with two artificial point sources derived from a single point source via fiber optics are presented. The Star Simulator will allow testing of LBTI with the telescope and the adaptive secondaries in particular. Testing with the Star Simulator will allow system level testing of LBTI on the telescope, without need to use on-sky time. Testing of the Star Simulator components are presented to verify readiness for use with the LBTI.12 page(s