Alignment and preliminary outcomes of an ELT-size instrument to a very large telescope: LINC-NIRVANA at LBT

LINC-NIRVANA (LN) is a high resolution, near infrared imager that uses a multiple field-of-view, layer-oriented, multi-conjugate AO system, consisting of four multi-pyramid wavefront sensors (two for each arm of the Large Binocular Telescope, each conjugated to a different altitude). The system employs up to 40 star probes, looking at up to 20 natural guide stars simultaneously. Its final goal is to perform Fizeau interferometric imaging, thereby achieving ELT-like spatial resolution (22.8 m baseline resolution). For this reason, LN is also equipped with a fringe tracker, a beam combiner and a NIR science camera, for a total of more than 250 optical components and an overall size of approximately 6x4x4.5 meters. This paper describes the tradeoffs evaluated in order to achieve the alignment of the system to the telescope. We note that LN is comparable in size to planned ELT instrumentation. The impact of such alignment strategies will be compared and the selected procedure, where the LBT telescope is, in fact, aligned to the instrument, will be described. Furthermore, results coming from early night-time commissioning of the system will be presented.Comment: 8 pages, 6 pages, AO4ELT5 Proceedings, 201

Solving the MCAO partial illumination issue and laboratory results

Telescopes or instruments equipped with Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics (MCAO) provide uniform turbulence correction over a wide Field of View (FoV), thereby overcoming the problems of isoplanatism and enabling previously challenging science. LINC-NIRVANA (LN), the German-Italian near-infrared high-resolution imager for the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), has an advanced and unique MCAO module, which uses the Optical Co-addition of Layer- Oriented Multiple-FoV Natural Guide Star approach to MCAO with pyramid wavefront sensing. The layer-oriented wavefront correction can be performed by conjugating the Deformable Mirrors (DM) and the respective Wavefront Sensors (WFS) to the corresponding atmospheric layers. LN corrects for the aberrations in two different layers. The ground layer, conjugated to the telescope pupil 100m above LBT, is corrected by the Ground-layer Wavefront Sensors (GWS) driving the LBT adaptive secondary mirrors, and a higher layer 7.1km above the telescope is corrected by the High-layer Wavefront Sensors (HWS) driving a pair of Xinetics DMs on the LN bench. At the ground layer, the footprints of the stars overlap completely and every star footprint illuminates the entire pupil-plane. However, for a higher layer, the footprints do not overlap completely and each star illuminates a different region of the conjugated plane. Lack of stars, therefore, results in some regions in this "meta-pupil"-plane not being illuminated, implying no information regarding the aberrations in these areas. The optimum way of correcting the high layer, given this limited information, is the crux of the "partial illumination issue". In this paper, we propose a solution for this issue and discuss laboratory results from the aligned LN bench in the lab. Currently, LN has completed the re-integration and re-alignment at LBT. In early June 2016, we tested our partial illumination algorithm in the instrument's final configuration in the LBT mountain lab, using simulated stars. On sky testing will begin in late 2016

QCD and strongly coupled gauge theories : challenges and perspectives

We highlight the progress, current status, and open challenges of QCD-driven physics, in theory and in experiment. We discuss how the strong interaction is intimately connected to a broad sweep of physical problems, in settings ranging from astrophysics and cosmology to strongly coupled, complex systems in particle and condensed-matter physics, as well as to searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. We also discuss how success in describing the strong interaction impacts other fields, and, in turn, how such subjects can impact studies of the strong interaction. In the course of the work we offer a perspective on the many research streams which flow into and out of QCD, as well as a vision for future developments.Peer reviewe

On-sky verification of a solution to the MCAO partial illumination issue and wind-predictive wavefront control

We have tested and confirmed the proper functioning of our solution to the MCAO partial illumination issue in the context of the LINC-NIRVANA (LN) MCAO module, both in the laboratory and on-sky. We present the results in this paper. Availability of direct AO-telemetry for individual layers from the LN MCAO system can be potentially used to improve not only the stability of the independent AO loops, but also the wavefront sensor efficiency. We introduce this idea, called "wind- predictive wavefront control.

On-sky verification of a solution to the MCAO partial illumination issue and wind-predictive wavefront control

We have tested and confirmed the proper functioning of our solution to the MCAO partial illumination issue in the context of the LINC-NIRVANA (LN) MCAO module, both in the laboratory and on-sky. We present the results in this paper. Availability of direct AO-telemetry for individual layers from the LN MCAO system can be potentially used to improve not only the stability of the independent AO loops, but also the wavefront sensor efficiency. We introduce this idea, called "wind- predictive wavefront control.

Installation and commissioning of the LINC-NIRVANA near-infrared MCAO imager on LBT

This paper reports on the installation and initial commissioning of LINC-NIRVANA (LN), an innovative high resolution, near-infrared imager for the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). We present the delicate and difficult installation procedure, the culmination of a re-integration campaign that was in full swing at the last SPIE meeting. We also provide an update on the ongoing commissioning campaigns, including our recent achievement of First Light. Finally, we discuss lessons learned from the shipment and installation of a large complex instrument

The calibration procedure of the LINC-NIRVANA ground and high layer WFS

LINC-NIRVANA (LN) is a MCAO module currently mounted on the Rear Bent Gregorian focus of the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). It mounts a camera originally design to realize the interferometric imaging focal station of the LBT. LN follows the LBT strategy having two twin channels: a double Layer Oriented multi-conjugate adaptive optics system assists the two arms, supplying high order wave-front correction. In order to counterbalance the field rotation a mechanical derotation is applied for the two ground wave-front sensors, and an optical (K-mirror) one for the two high layers sensors, fixing the positions of the focal planes with respect to the pyramids aboard the wavefront sensors. The derotation introduces a pupil images rotation on the wavefront sensors changing the projection of the deformable mirrors on the sensor consequently. The soft real-time computer load the matrix corresponding to the needed at one degree step. Calibrations were performed in daytime only and using optical fibers