18 research outputs found
The Magellan Adaptive Secondary VisAO Camera: Diffraction- Limited Broadband Visible Imaging and 20mas Fiber Array IFS
The Magellan Adaptive Secondary AO system, scheduled for first light in the
fall of 2011, will be able to simultaneously perform diffraction limited AO
science in both the mid-IR, using the BLINC/MIRAC4 10\{mu}m camera, and in the
visible using our novel VisAO camera. The VisAO camera will be able to operate
as either an imager, using a CCD47 with 8.5 mas pixels, or as an IFS, using a
custom fiber array at the focal plane with 20 mas elements in its highest
resolution mode. In imaging mode, the VisAO camera will have a full suite of
filters, coronagraphic focal plane occulting spots, and SDI prism/filters. The
imaging mode should provide ~20% mean Strehl diffraction-limited images over
the band 0.5-1.0 \{mu}m. In IFS mode, the VisAO instrument will provide R~1,800
spectra over the band 0.6-1.05 \{mu}m. Our unprecedented 20 mas spatially
resolved visible spectra would be the highest spatial resolution achieved to
date, either from the ground or in space. We also present lab results from our
recently fabricated advanced triplet Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector (ADC) and
the design of our novel wide-field acquisition and active optics lens. The
advanced ADC is designed to perform 58% better than conventional doublet ADCs
and is one of the enabling technologies that will allow us to achieve broadband
(0.5-1.0\{mu}m) diffraction limited imaging and wavefront sensing in the
visible.Comment: Proceedings of the SPIE, 2010, Vol. 7736, 77362
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
Development of the Arizona Robotic Telescope Network
The Arizona Robotic Telescope Network (ARTN) project is a long term effort to
develop a system of telescopes to carry out a flexible program of PI observing,
survey projects, and time domain astrophysics including monitoring, rapid
response, and transient/target-of-opportunity followup. Steward Observatory
operates and shares in several 1-3m class telescopes with quality sites and
instrumentation, largely operated in classical modes. Science programs suited
to these telescopes are limited by scheduling flexibility and people-power of
available observers. Our goal is to adapt these facilities for multiple
co-existing queued programs, interrupt capability, remote/robotic operation,
and delivery of reduced data. In the long term, planning for the LSST era, we
envision an automated system coordinating across multiple telescopes and sites,
where alerts can trigger followup, classification, and triggering of further
observations if required, such as followup imaging that can trigger
spectroscopy. We are updating telescope control systems and software to
implement this system in stages, beginning with the Kuiper 61'' and Vatican
Observatory 1.8-m telescopes. The Kuiper 61'' and its Mont4K camera can now be
controlled and queue-scheduled by the RTS2 observatory control software, and
operated from a remote room at Steward. We discuss science and technical
requirements for ARTN, and some of the challenges in adapting heterogenous
legacy facilities, scheduling, data pipelines, and maintaining capabilities for
a diverse user base.Comment: Proceedings of SPIE Astronomical Telescopes & Instrumentation 2018,
Observatory Operations: Strategies, Processes, and Systems VI
HIP 67506 C: MagAO-X Confirmation of a New Low-Mass Stellar Companion to HIP 67506 A
We report the confirmation of HIP 67506 C, a new stellar companion to HIP
67506 A. We previously reported a candidate signal at 2/D (240~mas) in
L in MagAO/Clio imaging using the binary differential imaging
technique. Several additional indirect signals showed that the candidate signal
merited follow-up: significant astrometric acceleration in Gaia DR3,
Hipparcos-Gaia proper motion anomaly, and overluminosity compared to single
main sequence stars. We confirmed the companion, HIP 67506 C, at 0.1" with
MagAO-X in April, 2022. We characterized HIP 67506 C MagAO-X photometry and
astrometry, and estimated spectral type K7-M2; we also re-evaluated HIP 67506 A
in light of the close companion. Additionally we show that a previously
identified 9" companion, HIP 67506 B, is a much further distant unassociated
background star. We also discuss the utility of indirect signposts in
identifying small inner working angle candidate companions.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, 4 tables, accepted to MNRA
Recommended from our members
The Giant Magellan Telescope high contrast phasing testbed
The Giant Magellan Telescope design consists of seven circular 8.4 m diameter mirrors, together forming a single 24.5 m diameter primary mirror. This large aperture and collecting area can help extreme adaptive optics systems such as GMagAOX achieve the small angular resolutions and contrasts required to image habitable zone earth-like planets around late type stars and possibly lead to the discovery of life outside of our solar system. However, the GMT mirror segments are separated by large ⪆ 30 cm gaps, creating the possibility of fluctuations in optical path differences (piston) due to flexure, wind loading, temperature effects, and atmospheric seeing. In order to utilize the full diffraction-limited aperture of the GMT for high-contrast imaging, the seven mirror segments must be co-phased to well within a fraction of a wavelength. The current design of the GMT involves seven adaptive secondary mirrors, a dispersed fringe sensor (part of the AGWS), and a pyramid wavefront sensor (NGWS) to measure and correct the total path length between segment pairs, but these methods have yet to be tested “end-to-end” in a lab environment. We present the design and prototype of a “GMT High-Contrast Phasing Testbed” which leverages the existing MagAO-X ExAO instrument to demonstrate fine phase sensing and simultaneous AO-control for high-contrast GMT natural guide star science. The testbed will simulate the GMT primary and secondary mirror phasing system. It will also simulate the future GMT ExAO instrument’s (GMagAO-X) “parallel DM” tweeter concept of splitting up the GMT pupil onto several commercial DMs using a reflective hexagonal pyramid. A dispersed fringe sensor will also be implemented into the testbed for coarse piston phase-sensing along with MagAO-X’s pyramid wavefront sensor to measure and correct the fine phasing level of the GMT primary mirror segments under realistic wind load and seeing conditions.This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]