Project description

Keck Precision Adaptive Optics (KPAO) is the W.M. Keck Observatory's long term strategy for development of next generation adaptive optics (AO) capabilities. KPAO will ensure the observatory's excellence in the field of astronomical AO and provide competitive capabilities well into the era of future 30-m extremely large telescopes (ELTs).

Technical summary (click to reveal/hide)

We envision KPAO to be not only a high performance AO system but also a general purpose AO system. The lack of bright guide stars has already forced the current generation of AO system from natural guide stars to laser guide in order to access the greatest number of interesting astronomical targets. Although the gains with single LGS will be revolutionary these system are fundamentally limited by focus anisoplatism to have wavefront errors of order at least 150 nm rms. In addition other implantation errors will limit the current generation of single LGS system to total wavefront errors of 250nm-350nm rms. For KPAO we believe that the next great advance in high resolution astronomy will be brought about by AO systems that have total residual wavefront error budget of order 100 nm rms. The small error leads one to consider AO solutions that use multiple laser guide stars, inorder to limit focal anisoplatims to 40 nm rms.

In addition these systems must have large number of actuators to correct the wavefront (order ~1000), several wavefront sensors with low noise detectors and updates rates for order 1 KHz. Such a system represents a step forward at but not beyond the current state of the art. To an astronomer it is the quality of correction delivered to the final image or spectrum that is of importance. As such the quality of the telescope and the instruments must be consistent with the wavefront error goals of the AO system.

While a wavefront error of 100nm rms will provide Strehl in the K band of close to 0.9. The design group believes that the corresponding compensation at H-alpha of a Strehl of 0.3 is also important. [more info]


KPAO team

  • Chris Neyman (AO scientist)
  • Peter Wizinowich (optics group manager)
  • Olivier Lai (KPAO science case, CFHT)
  • Ralf Flicker (AO postdoc)

Documentation

External links

 

Project news & site updates

2005-08-29

New KPAO web site

KPAO has a new web page, please update your links and bookmarks. Our intention is to keep this web page up to date with developments in the project.

2005-08-29

Temporary Mission Statement

"Acqua alle funi" [ 1 2 ]


Contact
For further information on KPAO, contact Chris Neyman at:

W.M. Keck Observatory
65-1120 Mamalahoa Highway
Kamuela, Hawaii 96743, USA
Phone: (808) 885-7887

kpao.php · Last Modified · 13/07/16 12:10