The VLT Adaptive Optics Facility Project: Adaptive Optics Modules
Roberto Biasi2006, The Messenger
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Abstract
The Adaptive Optics Facility is a project to convert UT4 into a specialised Adap-tive Telescope with the help of a De-formable Secondary Mirror (see previ-ous article). The two instruments that have been identified for the two Nas-myth foci are: Hawk-I with its AO mod-ule ...
Key takeaways
- The two instruments that have been identified for the two Nasmyth foci are: Hawk-I with its AO module GRAAL allowing a Ground Layer Adaptive Optics correction (GLAO) and MUSE with GALACSI for GLAO correction and Laser Tomography Adaptive Optics correction.
- The GRound layer Adaptive optics system Assisted by Lasers (GRAAL) is a module designed to provide GLAO correction for the HAWK-I NIR wide-field imager (7.5; × 7.5; FoV with ~0.1?
- But note also that HAWK-I with GRAAL will reach the same magnitude limit as VISTA 16 times faster, i.e., even with the significantly smaller FoV, HAWK-I with GRAAL would reach 1/2 the survey speed of VISTA but with at least a factor of two improvement in spatial resolution.
- The RTC's of GRAAL and GALACSI will be based on SPARTA.
- GRAAL and GALACSI, the AO modules for Hawk-I and MUSE respectively, are two major building blocks for this project.
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