ASET Colloquium
Ground Layer Adaptive Optics (GLAO) Astronomical Experiment at Mauna Kea, Hawaii
by Dr. Douglas W. Toomey (Mauna Kea Infrared LLC & University of Hawaii, USA)
Thursday, February 28, 2013
from
to
(Asia/Kolkata)
at Colaba Campus ( AG-77 )
at Colaba Campus ( AG-77 )
Description |
Adaptive Optics (AO) is a prime example of how progress in observational astronomy can be driven by technological developments. Ground-layer adaptive optics (GLAO) is a potentially unique and powerful AO technique which promises modest wave-front correction over wide fields of view. This technique, where only the atmosphere turbulence close to the ground is corrected, has now been used to improve wide field imaging for large telescopes. Experiments have shown that at the telescope sites on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, which is one of the finest astronomical sites in the world, the atmospheric turbulence induced optical aberrations, or seeing, is primarily made up of a ground layer and a high atmosphere layer. This talk discusses measurements that have been made late last year through the University of Hawaii 2.2 meter and CFHT 3.6 meter telescopes to collect data that would predict the performance of a 1 degree field-of-view adaptive optics corrected imager in support of the IMAKA/CFHT project. This represents a few orders of magnitude improvement in field coverage over present adaptive optics systems. Enhanced resolution over a wide field would bring many advantages. The other important aspect of GLAO is that it can function even in poorer atmospheric conditions where high order AO struggles. About the Speaker: Dr. Douglas W. Toomey has been developing and building cameras and spectrometers for Infrared astronomy in the 1 to 20 micron band with special emphasis on the 1 to 5 micron band at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. At the University of Hawaii, he has developed many new techniques for designing instruments that measure infrared radiation. His scientific investigations include observations of the Galactic center, and imaging of Io occultations. In 1985, he started Mauna Kea Infrared LLC to build custom hardware for specialised astronomy projects on large telescopes around the world. He has developed the Near Infrared Coronagraphic Imager (NICI) which is a state of the art instrument on the Gemini 8 metre telescope in Chile focussed on imaging Jupiter class planets orbiting around other stars. At present, he is collaborating with the Infrared Astronomy Group of TIFR, in the TIRSPEC project which involves installing a Near Infrared Spectrometer at the focal plane of the 2 metre Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) at Hanle, Ladakh. |
Organised by | Dr. Satyanarayana Bheesette |