Atmospheric tomography with separate minimum variance laser and natural guide star mode control

This paper introduces a novel, computationally efficient, and practical atmospheric tomography wavefront control architecture with separate minimum variance laser and natural guide star mode estimation. The architecture is applicable to all laser tomography systems, including multi conjugate adaptive optics (MCAO), laser tomography adaptive optics (LTAO), and multi object adaptive optics (MOAO) systems. Monte Carlo simulation results for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) MCAO system demonstrate its benefit over a previously introduced “ad hoc” split MCAO architecture, calling for further in-depth analysis and simulations over a representative ensemble of natural guide star (NGS) asterisms with optimized loop frame rates and modal gains

Real-time turbulence profiling with a pair of laser guide star Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensors for wide-field adaptive optics systems on large to extremely large telescopes

Real-time turbulence profiling is necessary to tune tomographic wavefront reconstruction algorithms for wide-field adaptive optics (AO) systems on large to extremely large telescopes, and to perform a variety of image post-processing tasks involving point-spread function reconstruction. This paper describes a computationally efficient and accurate numerical technique inspired by the slope detection and ranging (SLODAR) method to perform this task in real time from properly selected Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor measurements accumulated over a few hundred frames from a pair of laser guide stars, thus eliminating the need for an additional instrument. The algorithm is introduced, followed by a theoretical influence function analysis illustrating its impulse response to high-resolution turbulence profiles. Finally, its performance is assessed in the context of the Thirty Meter Telescope multi-conjugate adaptive optics system via end-to-end wave optics Monte Carlo simulations

Constrained matched filtering for extended dynamic range and improved noise rejection for Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing

We recently introduced matched filtering in the context of astronomical Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing with elongated sodium laser beacons [Appl. Opt. 45, 6568 (2006)]. Detailed wave optics Monte Carlo simulations implementing this technique for the Thirty Meter Telescope dual conjugate adaptive optics system have, however, revealed frequent bursts of degraded closed loop residual wavefront error [Proc. SPIE 6272, 627236 (2006)]. The origin of this problem is shown to be related to laser guide star jitter on the sky that kicks the filter out of its linear dynamic range, which leads to bursts of nonlinearities that are reconstructed into higher-order wavefront aberrations, particularly coma and trifoil for radially elongated subaperture spots. An elegant reformulation of the algorithm is proposed to extend its dynamic range using a set of linear constraints while preserving its improved noise rejection and Monte Carlo performance results are reported that confirm the benefits of the method

Scaling multiconjugate adaptive optics performance estimates to extremely large telescopes

Multi-conjugate adaptive optics (MCAO) is a key technology for extremely large, ground-based telescopes (ELT's) because it enables near-uniform atmospheric turbulence compensation over fields-of-view considerably larger than can be corrected with more conventional AO systems. Quantitative performance evaluation using detailed analytical or simulation models is difficult, however, due to the very large number of deformable mirror (DM) actuators, wave front sensors (WFS) subapertures, and guide stars which might comprise an MCAO system for an ELT. This paper employs more restricted minimal variance estimation methods to evaluate the fundamental performance limits imposed by anisoplanatism alone upon MCAO performance for a range of sample cases. Each case is defined by a atmospheric turbulence profile, telescope aperture diameter, field-of-view, guide star constellation, and set of DM conjugate ranges. For a Kolmogorov turbulence spectrum with an infinite outer scale, MCAO performance for a whole range of aperture diameters and proportional fields-of-view can be computed at once using a scaling law analogous to the (D/d_O)^(5/3) formula for the cone effect. For 30 meter telescopes, useful levels of performance are possible across a 1.0 - 2.0 arc minute square field-of-view using 5 laser guide stars (LGS's) and 3 DM's, and somewhat larger fields can be corrected using 9 guide stars and 4 mirrors. 3 or more tip/tilt natural guide stars (NGS's) are necessary to detect modes of tilt anisoplanatism which cannot be detected using LGS's, however. LGS MCAO performance is a quite weak function of aperture diameter for a fixed field-of-view, and it is tempting to scale these results to larger apertures. NGS MCAO performance is moderately superior to LGS MCAO if the NGS constellation is within the compensated field-of-view, but degrades rapidly as the guide stars move away from the field. The penalty relaxes slowly with increasing aperture diameter, but how to extrapolate this trend to telescopes with diameters much larger than 30 meters is unclear

A Wave Optics Propagation Code for Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics

We describe the purpose, theory, implementation and sample results of a wave optics propagation simulation developed to study multi-conjugate adaptive optics (MCAQ) for 4-10m class telescopes. This code was more specifically developed to assess the impact of diffraction effects and a variety of implementation error sources upon the performance of the Gemini-South MCAO system. These errors include: Hartmann sensing with extended and elongated laser guide stars, optical propagation effects through the optics and atmosphere, laser guide star (LGS) projection through the atmosphere, deformable mirror (DM) and wave front sensor (WFS) misregistration, and calibration for non-common path errors. The code may be run in either a wave optics or geometric propagation mode to allow the code to be anchored against linear analytical models and to explicitly evaluate the impact of diffraction effects. The code is written in MATLAB, and complete simulations of the Gemini-South MCAO design (including 3 deformable mirrors with 769 actuators, 5 LGS WFS with 1020 subapertures, 3 tip/tilt natural guide star (NGS) WFS, and 50 meter phase screens with 1/32nd meter resolution) are possible using a Pentium III but require 1 to 6 days. Sample results are presented for Gemini-South MCAO as well as simpler AO systems. Several possibilities for parallelizing the code for faster execution and the modeling of extremely large telescopes (ELT's) are discussed

Layer-oriented multigrid wavefront reconstruction algorithms for multiconjugate adaptive optics

Multi-conjugate adaptive optics (MCAO) systems with 10^4-10^5 degrees of freedom have been proposed for future giant telescopes. Using standard matrix methods to compute, optimize, and implement wavefront control algorithms for these systems is impractical, since the number of calculations required to compute and apply the reconstruction matrix scales respectively with the cube and the square of the number of AO degrees of freedom. In this paper, we develop an iterative sparse matrix implementation of minimum variance wavefront reconstruction for telescope diameters up to 32m with more than 104 actuators. The basic approach is the preconditioned conjugate gradient method, using a multigrid preconditioner incorporating a layer-oriented (block) symmetric Gauss-Seidel iterative smoothing operator. We present open-loop numerical simulation results to illustrate algorithm convergence

Multi-conjugate adaptive optics with hybrid laser beacon systems

Results for a multi-conjugate adaptive optical (MCAO) system with multiple laser beacons at multiple altitudes are presented in this paper. The use of multi-conjugate deformable mirrors (DM's) increases the corrected field of view of an adaptive optical telescope system. This improves the imaging capability for extended astronomical objects such as planets, galaxies, and nebulae. Multiple laser beacons, as opposed to multiple natural guide stars, are needed to achieve a useful degree of sky coverage. The use of laser beacons at multiple altitudes in a hybrid laser beacon configuration has been shown in previous papers to reduce both focus and tilt anisoplanatism. In this study we combine all three of these aspects. The hybrid beacon scenarios used in this study consists of multiple high altitude sodium beacons at 90 km and/or multiple low altitude Rayleigh beacons at 10 to 20 km. We present results for an 8-m class telescope for 2 and 3 different DM conjugate altitudes. For each of these MCAO configurations the following parameters are varied: number of Rayleigh beacons, number of Rayleigh beacon wavefront sensor (WFS) subapertures, Rayleigh beacon altitudes for the Rayleigh/sodium configuration, number of natural beacons for tip/tilt correction, and number of natural beacon WFS subapertures. When the WFS subaperture for the natural beacon is greater than 1 x 1 it contributes to the higher order correction in addition to being used for tip/tilt correction. Results are compared in terms of Strehl Ratio for the J, H, and K band

Tip/tilt point spread function reconstruction for laser guide star multi-conjugate adaptive optics

In adaptive optics systems employing laser guide stars, the tip/tilt contribution to the long exposure point spread function must be estimated separately from the high-order tip/tilt removed point spread function because this component is estimated separately from a single or multiple low-order natural guide star wavefront sensors. This paper investigates this problem for laser guide star multi conjugate adaptive optics. The approach is based on the scheme developed by Flicker in 2003, and consists in post-processing the measurement covariance matrix of multiple low-order natural guide star wavefront sensors controlling tip/tilt and tilt anisoplanatism. An innovative simulation model based "balanced" algorithm is introduced to capture error terms not accounted for in Flicker's algorithm. Sample enclosed energy results for the Thirty Meter Telescope multi conjugate adaptive optics system demonstrate the superiority of the balanced method and call for further analytical work and experimental validation

RCW36: characterizing the outcome of massive star formation

Massive stars play a dominant role in the process of clustered star formation, with their feedback into the molecular cloud through ionizing radiation, stellar winds and outflows. The formation process of massive stars is poorly constrained because of their scarcity, the short formation timescale and obscuration. By obtaining a census of the newly formed stellar population, the star formation history of the young cluster and the role of the massive stars within it can be unraveled. We aim to reconstruct the formation history of the young stellar population of the massive star-forming region RCW 36. We study several dozens of individual objects, both photometrically and spectroscopically, look for signs of multiple generations of young stars and investigate the role of the massive stars in this process. We obtain a census of the physical parameters and evolutionary status of the young stellar population. Using a combination of near-infrared photometry and spectroscopy we estimate ages and masses of individual objects. We identify the population of embedded young stellar objects (YSO) by their infrared colors and emission line spectra. RCW 36 harbors a stellar population of massive and intermediate-mass stars located around the center of the cluster. Class 0/I and II sources are found throughout the cluster. The central population has a median age of 1.1 +/- 0.6 Myr. Of the stars which could be classified, the most massive ones are situated in the center of the cluster. The central cluster is surrounded by filamentary cloud structures; within these, some embedded and accreting YSOs are found. Our age determination is consistent with the filamentary structures having been shaped by the ionizing radiation and stellar winds of the central massive stars. The formation of a new generation of stars is ongoing, as demonstrated by the presence of embedded protostellar clumps, and two exposed jets.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic