1. Adaptive Optics Road Map An Adaptive Optics Road Map Presentation to the AURA Board 7 February 2001 A Renaissance in Groundbased IR (even Optical) Astronomy? Based on presentation to the NSF by Steve Strom

2. Adaptive Optics Road Map HISTORICAL CONTEXT  Adaptive optics: one of the major advances in telescope technology of the 20 th century “ comparable to the invention of the telescope” “ comparable to the invention of the telescope”  AO systems to date demonstrate its potential to: –Deliver high fidelity, diffraction-limited images –Enable large gains in sensitivity –Reduce the size of instruments  Science enabled by AO is impressive –Imaging lava flows on Io; storms on Neptune; –Imaging accretion disks; precessing jets in YSOs –Resolving Dense galactic and globular clusters –Measuring stellar fluxes; colors in nearby galactic nuclei

3. Adaptive Optics Road Map However…..  Only 1% – 3% of the sky is accessible to current AO systems  Laser systems are still VERY expensive (and immature technologies)  Detector technologies are still limiting performance  Data reduction techniques need to be better understood (or more widely disseminated)  The full scientific potential of AO has yet to be realized – need 1 – 2 arcminute corrected FOV’s  AO is the enabling technology for the “next generation” of (extremely) large groundbased telescopes

4. Adaptive Optics Road Map Progress to “second generation” Adaptive Optics ALFA AO System Sodium Laser result S ~ 0.2, within a factor of 2 of the predicted result (S= 0.4) And now Lick is Getting S ~ 0.7

5. Adaptive Optics Road Map Unfortunately Sodium Lasers are not a mature technology

6. Adaptive Optics Road Map State-of-the-art is still complex - Keck’s laser room (one wall)

7. Adaptive Optics Road Map Conclusions (circa 2001)  We are entering a decade of unparalleled growth in the competitiveness of ground-based O/IR astronomy  Adaptive Optics will be largely responsible for growth  The US and Gemini communities have a unique lead in Adaptive Optics  However the lack of a mature Sodium Laser technology represents an effective “log-jam” in the further development of Adaptive Optics  The problem Gemini faces, in common with other AO programs, is that the non-recurring costs of developing viable, facility class lasers for such systems are currently beyond the resources of any of the major adaptive optics programs  A focused, community wide effort (Gemini, CfAO, USAF) will lead to “turn-key” affordable Sodium Lasers for all grounbased telescopes  This will enable MCAO and the ‘Next Generation’ 30m - 100m telescopes

8. Adaptive Optics Road Map Some drawbacks of “classical” AO  Simulation on an 8m telescope, H Band (1.6 um)  Atmospheric spatial decorrelation limits effective FOV  AO correction requires a bright star  Sky coverage limited to 0.1% - 1% of sky

9. Adaptive Optics Road Map Some drawbacks of “classical” AO  Variation in Point Spread Function (PSF) across the field of view complicates the quantitative interpretation of observations in dense fields or spatially complex objects

10. Adaptive Optics Road Map

11. Effectiveness of MCAO Numerical simulations:  5 Natural guide stars  5 Wavefront sensors  2 mirrors  8 turbulence layers  MK turbulence profile  Field of view ~ 1.2’  H band

12. Adaptive Optics Road Map Modeling verses Data 20 arcsec M15: PSF variations and stability measured as predicted GEMINI AO Data Model Results 2.5 arc min.

13. Adaptive Optics Road Map Quantitative AO Corrected Data AO performance can be well modeled Quantitative predictions confirmed by observations AO is now a valuable scientific tool: predicted S/N gains now being realized measured photometric errors in crowded fields ~ 2% Rigaut et al 2001

14. Adaptive Optics Road Map The Realm of MCAO  MCAO vs CAO: –Field of view, gain in area: J  20-80 x, K  10-20 x, depending on criteria and conditions. –Photometric performance: photometric accuracy prop to Strehl variations in the field. MCAO ~ CAO / 10, i.e. for accuracy of 5% for CAO, MCAO gets to 0.5% -> 0.01 mag on a CMD. 6005010203040 [arcsec] MCAO AO 1/2 FoV

15. Realms of MCAO/CAO Field of view  [arcseconds] Photometric accuracy [mag] 0.01 0.05 0.10.005 100 10 1 CAO MCAO Keck PUEO Keck ESO GSAO HK Milky Way programs Nearby Galaxies Distant Galaxies

16. Adaptive Optics Road Map First test of tomographic technique  Ragazzoni et al, 2000, Nature 403, 54  Collected optical data on a constellation of 4 stars  Used tomographic analysis from outer three to predict phase errors of the central star  Tomographic calculations correctly estimated the atmospheric phases errors to an accuracy of 92% –better than classical AO –MCAO can be made to work

17. Adaptive Optics Road Map Sodium Laser at Chile

18. Adaptive Optics Road Map The Southern Sodium Layer - Preliminary results February 11, 2001

19. Adaptive Optics Road Map ALTAIR Unchallenged “NGST class” science Laser Development timescales in context 2000 2010 ALMA ALMA Keck-Inter. Keck I&II UT1-UT4 VLT-I HET LBT NGST Gemini-N Gemini-S Hokupa’a ALTAIR+LGS ‘03 MCAO Hokupa’a-II

20. Adaptive Optics Road Map Laser Development timescales in context 2000 2010 ALMA ALMA Keck-Inter. Keck I&II UT1-UT4 VLT-I HET LBT OWL 2015 20002010 MAXAT CELT NGST GSMT Gemini-N Gemini-S Hokupa’a ALTAIR+LGS ‘03 GAOS MCAO 2 nd Generation Telescopes Hokupa’a-II

21. Adaptive Optics Road Map The Groundbased Scientific Impact - Relative S/N Gain of groundbased diffraction limited 20m,30m, 50m and 100m telescopes compared to NGST Groundbased advantage NGST advantage 100m 50m 30m 20m S/N x 10 Spectroscopy, v res = 30 kms/s

22. Adaptive Optics Road Map ADAPTIVE OPTICS: A ROADMAP FOR THE NEXT DECADE Based on presentation by CfAO and NOAO/NIO on behalf of the US AO community 27 APR 2000

23. Adaptive Optics Road MapCHALLENGES  Develop new systems approaches –Increase sky coverage/Strehl through use of LGS –Enable wider fields through use of MCAO  Develop key components –Reliable, high power lasers –Advanced wavefront sensors and deformable mirrors –Fast detectors  Advance understanding of atmospheric turbulence –Understand turbulence; Sodium layer excitation NB: AO advances required for d >> 10m telescopes

24. Adaptive Optics Road Map TOWARD AN AO ROADMAP  Community workshop held on 13/14 DEC in Tucson –Co-sponsored by CfAO and NOAO  Goals: –Prepare a 10 year roadmap for NSF investment in AO new systems approachesnew systems approaches systems design issuessystems design issues technology investmentstechnology investments subsystem developments subsystem developments software issuessoftware issues key investment areas and associated milestoneskey investment areas and associated milestones –Define a process for implementing/updating the roadmap

25. Adaptive Optics Road Map KEY TECHNOLOGIES  Proposed Investment: –Concept studies for next generation telescopes identify the role of AOidentify the role of AO  Expected Return: –Deeper understanding of the relative priorities of roadmap investments as the decade unfolds

26. Adaptive Optics Road Map KEY TECHNOLOGIES  Proposed Investment: –develop reliable, affordable sodium lasers (10-50 W) –support R&D on Rayleigh beacons  Expected Return: –greatly accelerated implementation of laser beacons on extant telescopes –wider field correction through use of MCAO –all sky coverage at increased Strehl –extension of AO correction to shorter wavelengths

27. Adaptive Optics Road Map KEY TECHNOLOGIES  Proposed Investment: –prototyping and testing of wavefront correction elements curved opticscurved optics adaptive secondaries and primariesadaptive secondaries and primaries transmissive opticstransmissive optics higher order deformable mirrorshigher order deformable mirrors  Expected Return: –improved optical simplicity and efficiency –reduced thermal background –simplified control systems –enhanced wavefront quality

28. Adaptive Optics Road Map KEY TECHNOLOGIES  Proposed Investment: –faster, lower noise detectors with more pixels and broader wavelength coverage for wavefront sensing  Expected Return: –improved AO performance with both natural and laser reference beacons

29. Adaptive Optics Road Map KEY TECHNOLOGIES  Proposed Investment: –advanced numerical methods for computing optimum corrections for inferred wavefront distortions  Expected Return: –enhanced corrected field of view –improved uniformity of image quality over large FOV

30. Adaptive Optics Road Map KEY TECHNOLOGIES  Proposed Investment: –site-specific monitoring campaigns –instrument packages for real-time support of AO systems  Expected Return: –site characterization for design of optimum AO systems –site selection for next generation telescope(s)

31. Adaptive Optics Road Map KEY TECHNOLOGIES  Proposed Investment: –model AO system performance –evaluate/validate competitive approaches to modeling  Expected Return: –confidence in predictions from modeling –improved systems approaches

32. Adaptive Optics Road Map KEY TECHNOLOGIES  Proposed Investment: –support of concept studies and workshops to explore instrumentation design in the AO era  Expected Return: –instrument design and performance matched to opportunities provided by AO

33. Adaptive Optics Road Map SCHEDULE FOR KEY ACTIVITIES  Site Monitoring –2001: Begin 3 year program of site testing to provide a database for AO system modeling –2002: Deploy instruments for Na-layer monitoring –2003: Deploy initial instruments for monitoring turbulence in real time –2004: Develop second-generation turbulence monitoring instruments –2004: Deploy instrumentation for long-term studies at several promising sites for next generation telescopes

34. Adaptive Optics Road Map SCHEDULE FOR KEY ACTIVITIES  Systems Designs –2001-2003: Solicit candidate designs for AO systems on 30-m class telescopes –2004-2006: Test at least two design concepts in the lab or on extant telescopes –2006-2010: Build one full-up AO system to test advanced concepts on 8-10m telescopes in service of implementation on a 30-m telescopes –2009-2010: Develop merged design of 30-100m telescope and advanced AO system

35. Adaptive Optics Road Map SCHEDULE FOR KEY ACTIVITIES  Deformable Mirrors –2001: Draft plan for developing deformable mirror technologies (~10,000 degrees of freedom) –2002-2004: Construct modest-sized prototypes –2005-2007: Build two or three deformable mirrors using scalable technologies

36. Adaptive Optics Road Map SCHEDULE FOR KEY ACTIVITIES  Wavefront-sensing detectors –2001: Facilitate foundry runs for fast, low-noise detectors for wavefront sensing in the visible and near-IR –2002-2003: Take delivery and test in existing AO systems –2004-2006: Fund and test the most promising technology for 512x512 detectors (for 30-100m application)

37. Adaptive Optics Road Map Investment Required AO Systems for GSMT will cost ~ $100M 10 year plan required 2002 - 2012 DRAFT