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Robo-AO Overview: System, capabilities, performance

Robo-AO Overview: System, capabilities, performance. Christoph Baranec (PI). Why Robo-AO?. Robotic – high efficiency observing Laser Guide Star – high sky coverage Adaptive Optics – spatial resolution set by D Small Telescopes – lots of available time. Robo-AO at the P60. Robotic.

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Robo-AO Overview: System, capabilities, performance

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  1. Robo-AO Overview:System, capabilities, performance Christoph Baranec (PI)

  2. Why Robo-AO? Robotic – high efficiency observing Laser Guide Star – high sky coverage Adaptive Optics – spatial resolution set by D Small Telescopes – lots of available time

  3. Robo-AO at the P60

  4. Robotic Reed Riddle (software lead) to fill in details following this presentation…

  5. Laser guide star • Rayleigh LGS (e.g. Starfire, Mt. Wilson, MMT, WHT, SOAR, LBT?) • Range gated – 650 m at 10 km – mV~9 • On/off operation • More robust operation in presence of clouds/haze • Waived by FAA – no human spotters required • Interface with USSTRATCOM • Send them target list 3-4 days prior to lasing • Will receive list of ‘open windows’ for each target

  6. AO system • High order wavefront will be measured by laser and corrected by deformable mirror • Stellar image motion captured by one of the science cameras and used to drive tip/tilt corrector • Single atmospheric dispersion corrector for both science instruments (not UV)

  7. Visible science instrument • Andor iXonEM+ DU-888 • Electron Multiplying CCD • 1024 x 1024 pixels • 44” x 44” square FoV • 0.043” pixels (Nyquist at λ = 620 nm) • Full frame rate: 9 Hz • Sub frame rate: ~200 Hz

  8. Baseline NIR camera: InGaAs • InGaAs – (Xenics: Xeva) • Delivery in 8 weeks from order • 0.9-1.7 μm sensitivity • 180 e- read noise • 7000 e-/s dark current • ~200k e- full well • 320 x 256 pixels (0.062”/pixel Nyquist λ = 900 nm) • ~20 x 16 arc sec field Xeva-1.7-320

  9. Ideal (future?) NIR camera • HgCdTe – (Teledyne: H2RG) + 2’ FoV, 0.062” pixels (Nyquist at λ = 900 nm) + Excellent noise + Flexible readout – integrating while T/T guiding • Cost – no $$ yet… • Development time

  10. Likely initial observing modes • Infrared Science: • Tip/tilt sensing with visible, integrate on IR camera • Visible Science: • Fast readout of visible camera - Lucky imaging/post facto shift and add • H2RG will give additional capability

  11. AO capabilities – quick answer • ~Diffraction-limited resolution visible • 0.5+ Strehl in the NIR • General imaging Range of: filters, exposure times, camera setup

  12. Error budget Assuming mV=17 T/T star

  13. Performance – H-Strehl • mV < 15 dominated seeing, HO errors. mV > 19 dominated T/T errors • Greater than 40% Strehl with mV = 19 T/T in median conditions • FWHM at H < 0.26” in even 75% worst seeing conditions *At Zenith

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