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Diffraction-limited imaging in the visible at the WHT

Diffraction-limited imaging in the visible at the WHT. Craig Mackay, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge. La Palma & The WHT The LPO is one of the very best sites. The WHT is a good telescope, with negligible dome seeing. La Palma & The WHT

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Diffraction-limited imaging in the visible at the WHT

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  1. Diffraction-limited imaging in the visible at the WHT Craig Mackay, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge. 22 March 2010: Science with WHT

  2. La Palma & The WHT • The LPO is one of the very best sites. • The WHT is a good telescope, with negligible dome seeing. 22 March 2010: Science with WHT

  3. La Palma & The WHT • The LPO is one of the very best sites. • The WHT is a good telescope, with negligible dome seeing. • Competitive instrumentation essential to establishing a real niche. 22 March 2010: Science with WHT

  4. La Palma & The WHT • The LPO is one of the very best sites. • The WHT is a good telescope, with negligible dome seeing. • Competitive instrumentation essential to establishing a real niche. • Diffraction-limited imaging in visible will fit the bill. 22 March 2010: Science with WHT

  5. Lucky Imaging: The Einstein Cross • HST/ACS (Left image), Lucky Image on NOT (Right image). 22 March 2010: Science with WHT

  6. Large Telescope Lucky Imaging. • Globular cluster M13 on the Palomar 5m. • Seeing ~650 mas. • Used PALMAO + our EMCCD Lucky Camera. • With 30% selection, ~17% Strehl (I-band) ~40 mas resolution. • Highest resolution image ever taken in the visible. 22 March 2010: Science with WHT

  7. Large Telescope Lucky Imaging. • The Lucky/AO images resolve <40 mas, ~ 3 times Hubble. 14 December 2007: U3A, King’s Lynn

  8. AO usually needs a bright reference star. Large Telescope Lucky. (From Olivier Guyon, Subaru telescope. 14 December 2007: U3A, King’s Lynn

  9. AO usually needs a bright reference star. • We are building a new kind of wavefront curvature sensor. Large Telescope Lucky. (From Olivier Guyon, Subaru telescope. 14 December 2007: U3A, King’s Lynn

  10. AO usually needs a bright reference star. • We are building a new kind of wavefront curvature sensor. • Much more sensitive than Shack-Hartmann sensors particularly for low-order. Large Telescope Lucky. (From Olivier Guyon, Subaru telescope. 14 December 2007: U3A, King’s Lynn

  11. AO usually needs a bright reference star. • We are building a new kind of wavefront curvature sensor. • Much more sensitive than Shack-Hartmann sensors particularly for low-order. • Can work with reference objects x100-1000 fainter. Large Telescope Lucky. (From Olivier Guyon, Subaru telescope. 14 December 2007: U3A, King’s Lynn

  12. Lucky/AO Imager for the WHT. • A similar system can now be built now for the WHT. 22 March 2010: Science with WHT

  13. Lucky/AO Imager for the WHT. • A similar system can now be built now for the WHT. • Will allow a wide range of problems to be tackled that require >HST resolution in visible. • Examples include globular cluster physics, quasar host galaxies, AGN studies, compact gravitational lenses, MACHO surveys in crowded regions and many others. 22 March 2010: Science with WHT

  14. Lucky/AO Imager for the WHT. • A similar system can now be built now for the WHT. • Will allow a wide range of problems to be tackled that require >HST resolution in visible. • Examples include globular cluster physics, quasar host galaxies, AGN studies, compact gravitational lenses, MACHO surveys in crowded regions and many others. • Also works as high-time resolution instrument. • Photon-counting CCDs allow limited fields at 1000Hz. 22 March 2010: Science with WHT

  15. Lucky/AO Imager for the WHT. • Use a low-order AO system using a curvature sensor. • On WHT would give resolution of 30-50 milliarcsecs in V to I-bands (HST is ~125 mas). 22 March 2010: Science with WHT

  16. Lucky/AO Imager for the WHT. • Use a low-order AO system using a curvature sensor. • On WHT would give resolution of 30-50 milliarcsecs in V to I-bands (HST is ~125 mas). • Selection rate typically 30% to 40%. • FOV 2000x2000, so 30x30 to 150x150 arcsecs. • Require reference star of I~18, so ~90% sky coverage. 22 March 2010: Science with WHT

  17. Lucky/AO Imager for the WHT. • Use a low-order AO system using a curvature sensor. • On WHT would give resolution of 30-50 milliarcsecs in V to I-bands (HST is ~125 mas). • Selection rate typically 30% to 40%. • FOV 2000x2000, so 30x30 to 150x150 arcsecs. • Require reference star of I~18, so ~90% sky coverage. • Already under development in Cambridge with STFC/PPRP grant. 22 March 2010: Science with WHT

  18. Lucky/AO Imager for the WHT. • Capital cost ~ £200K, plus ~£300K salaries. 22 March 2010: Science with WHT

  19. Lucky/AO Imager for the WHT. • Capital cost ~ £200K, plus ~£300K salaries. • First light of basic system in 15 months. • Complete in 24 months (user interface/reduction software is main effort). 22 March 2010: Science with WHT

  20. Lucky/AO Imager for the WHT. • Capital cost ~ £200K, plus ~£300K salaries. • First light of basic system in 15 months. • Complete in 24 months (user interface/reduction software is main effort). • Unique capability that really exploits the quality of the La Palma site. • Opportunity for UK to take a world lead in the only way known to deliver diffraction limited imaging in the visible. 22 March 2010: Science with WHT

  21. Instrumentation Group Institute of AstronomyUniversity of Cambridge, UKcdm@ast.cam.ac.uk 22 March 2010: Science with WHT

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