202 research outputs found
Adaptive Optics observations of LBQS 0108+0028: K-band detection of the host galaxy of a radio-quiet QSO at z=2
We report the first unambiguous detection of the host galaxy of a normal
radio-quiet QSO at high-redshift in K-band. The luminosity of the host
comprises about 35% of the total K-band luminosity. Assuming the average colour
of QSOs at z=2, the host would be about 5 to 6 mag brighter than an unevolved
L* galaxy placed at z=2, and 3 to 4 mag brighter than a passively evolved L*
galaxy at the same redshift. The luminosity of the host galaxy of the QSO would
thus overlap with the highest found in radio-loud QSOs and radio-galaxies at
the same redshift.Comment: Accepted to be published in MNRAS. 4 pages, 2 postscript figures.
Also available at http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/~itzia
Quasi-static aberrations induced by laser guide stars in adaptive optics
Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics (LGS AO) systems use the return from an artificial guide star to measure the wavefront aberrations in the direction of the science object. We observe quasi-static differences between the measured wavefront and the wavefront aberration of the science object. This paper quantifies and explains the source of the difference between the wavefronts measured using an LGS and a natural guide star at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which can be as high as 1000 nm RMS
Modeling the transmission and thermal emission in a pupil image behind the Keck II adaptive optics system
The GraF instrument for imaging spectroscopy with the adaptive optics
The GraF instrument using a Fabry-Perot interferometer cross-dispersed with a
grating was one of the first integral-field and long-slit spectrographs built
for and used with an adaptive optics system. We describe its concept, design,
optimal observational procedures and the measured performances. The instrument
was used in 1997-2001 at the ESO 3.6 m telescope equipped with ADONIS adaptive
optics and SHARPII+ camera. The operating spectral range was 1.2 - 2.5 microns.
We used the spectral resolution from 500 to 10 000 combined with the angular
resolution of 0.1" - 0.2". The quality of GraF data is illustrated by the
integral field spectroscopy of the complex 0.9" x 0.9" central region of Eta
Car in the 1.7 microns spectral range at the limit of spectral and angular
resolutions.Comment: 36 pages, 12 figures, accepted by Ex
A spectrograph instrument concept for the Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) on Subaru Telescope
We describe the conceptual design of the spectrograph opto-mechanical concept
for the SuMIRe Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) being developed for the SUBARU
telescope. The SuMIRe PFS will consist of four identical spectrographs, each
receiving 600 fibers from a 2400 fiber robotic positioner at the prime focus.
Each spectrograph will have three channels covering in total, a wavelength
range from 380 nm to 1300 nm. The requirements for the instrument are
summarized in Section 1. We present the optical design and the optical
performance and analysis in Section 2. Section 3 introduces the mechanical
design, its requirements and the proposed concepts. Finally, the AIT phases for
the Spectrograph System are described in Section 5.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, submitted to "Ground-based and Airborne
Instrumentation for Astronomy IV, Ian S. McLean, Suzanne K. Ramsay, Hideki
Takami, Editors, Proc. SPIE 8446 (2012)
The science case for the Next Generation AO system at W. M. Keck Observatory
The W. M. Keck Observatory is designing a new adaptive optics system providing precision AO correction in the near infrared, good correction at visible wavelengths, and multiplexed spatially resolved spectroscopy. We discuss science cases for this Next Generation AO (NGAO), and show how the system requirements were derived from these science cases. Key science drivers include asteroid companions, planets around low-mass stars, general relativistic effects around the Galactic Center black hole, nearby active galactic nuclei, and high-redshift galaxies (including galaxies lensed by intervening galaxies or clusters). The multi-object AO-corrected integral field spectrograph will be optimized for high-redshift galaxy science
Visible camera cryostat design and performance for the SuMIRe Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS)
We describe the design and performance of the SuMIRe Prime Focus Spectrograph
(PFS) visible camera cryostats. SuMIRe PFS is a massively multi-plexed
ground-based spectrograph consisting of four identical spectrograph modules,
each receiving roughly 600 fibers from a 2394 fiber robotic positioner at the
prime focus. Each spectrograph module has three channels covering wavelength
ranges 380~nm -- 640~nm, 640~nm -- 955~nm, and 955~nm -- 1.26~um, with the
dispersed light being imaged in each channel by a f/1.07 vacuum Schmidt camera.
The cameras are very large, having a clear aperture of 300~mm at the entrance
window, and a mass of 280~kg. In this paper we describe the design of the
visible camera cryostats and discuss various aspects of cryostat performance
Adaptive Optics Imaging of IRAS 18276-1431: a bipolar pre-planetary nebula with circumstellar "searchlight beams" and "arcs"
We present high-angular resolution images of the post-AGB nebula
IRAS18276-1431 (also known as OH17.7-2.0) obtained with the Keck II Adaptive
Optics (AO) system in its Natural Guide Star (NGS) mode in the Kp, Lp, and Ms
near-infrared bands. We also present supporting optical F606W and F814W HST
images as well as interferometric observations of the 12CO(J=1-0), 13CO(J=1-0),
and 2.6mm continuum emission with OVRO. The envelope of IRAS18276-1431 displays
a clear bipolar morphology in our optical and NIR images with two lobes
separated by a dark waist and surrounded by a faint 4.5"x3.4" halo. Our Kp-band
image reveals two pairs of radial ``searchlight beams'' emerging from the
nebula center and several intersecting, arc-like features. From our CO data we
derive a mass of M>0.38[D/3kpc]^2 Msun and an expansion velocity v_exp=17km/s
for the molecular envelope. The density in the halo follows a radial power-law
proportional to r^-3, which is consistent with a mass-loss rate increasing with
time. Analysis of the NIR colors indicates the presence of a compact central
source of ~300-500K dust illuminating the nebula in addition to the central
star. Modeling of the thermal IR suggests a two-shell structure in the dust
envelope: 1) an outer shell with inner and outer radius R_in~1.6E16cm and
R_out>~1.25E17cm, dust temperature T_d~105-50K, and a mean mass-loss rate of
Mdot~1E-3Msun/yr; and 2) an inner shell with R_in~6.3E14cm, T_dust~500-105K,
and Mdot~3E-5Msun/yr. An additional population of big dust grains (radius
a>~0.4mm) with T_dust=150-20K and mass M_dust=(0.16-1.6)E-3 [D/3kpc]^2 Msun can
account for the observed sub-mm and mm flux excess. The mass of the envelope
enclosed within R_out=1.25E17cm derived from SED modeling is ~1[D/3kpc]^2 Msun.Comment: 46 pages, 14 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ.
Figures 12 & 13 in low resolution. Full resolution versions are available
upon request to the first autho
Calibration of quasi-static aberrations in exoplanet direct-imaging instruments with a Zernike phase-mask sensor. II. Concept validation with ZELDA on VLT/SPHERE
Warm or massive gas giant planets, brown dwarfs, and debris disks around
nearby stars are now routinely observed by dedicated high-contrast imaging
instruments on large, ground-based observatories. These facilities include
extreme adaptive optics (ExAO) and state-of-the-art coronagraphy to achieve
unprecedented sensitivities for exoplanet detection and spectral
characterization. However, differential aberrations between the ExAO sensing
path and the science path represent a critical limitation for the detection of
giant planets with a contrast lower than a few at very small
separations (<0.3\as) from their host star. In our previous work, we proposed a
wavefront sensor based on Zernike phase contrast methods to circumvent this
issue and measure these quasi-static aberrations at a nanometric level. We
present the design, manufacturing and testing of ZELDA, a prototype that was
installed on VLT/SPHERE during its reintegration in Chile. Using the internal
light source of the instrument, we performed measurements in the presence of
Zernike or Fourier modes introduced with the deformable mirror. Our
experimental and simulation results are consistent, confirming the ability of
our sensor to measure small aberrations (<50 nm rms) with nanometric accuracy.
We then corrected the long-lived non-common path aberrations in SPHERE based on
ZELDA measurements. We estimated a contrast gain of 10 in the coronagraphic
image at 0.2\as, reaching the raw contrast limit set by the coronagraph in the
instrument. The simplicity of the design and its phase reconstruction algorithm
makes ZELDA an excellent candidate for the on-line measurements of quasi-static
aberrations during the observations. The implementation of a ZELDA-based
sensing path on the current and future facilities (ELTs, future space missions)
could ease the observation of the cold gaseous or massive rocky planets around
nearby stars.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, A&A accepted on June 3rd, 2016. v2 after
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