High-resolution imaging and spectroscopy in the visible from large ground-based telescopes with natural guide stars

Craig Mackay; Tim D. Staley; David King; Frank Suess; Keith Weller

doi:10.1117/12.855281

14 July 2010 High-resolution imaging and spectroscopy in the visible from large ground-based telescopes with natural guide stars

Craig Mackay, Tim D. Staley, David King, Frank Suess, Keith Weller

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 7735, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III; 77350S (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.855281
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2010, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Near-diffraction limited imaging and spectroscopy in the visible on large (8-10 meter) class telescopes has proved to be beyond the capabilities of current adaptive optics technologies, even when using laser guide stars. The need for high resolution visible imaging in any part of the sky suggests that a rather different approach is needed. This paper describes the results of simulations, experiments and astronomical observations that show that a combination of low order adaptive optic correction using a 4-field curvature sensor and fast Lucky Imaging strategies with a photon counting CCD camera systems should deliver 20-25 milliarcsecond resolution in the visible with reference stars as faint as 18.5 magnitude in I band on large telescopes. Such an instrument may be used to feed an integral field spectrograph efficiently using configurations that will also be described.

Citation Download Citation

Craig Mackay, Tim D. Staley, David King, Frank Suess, and Keith Weller "High-resolution imaging and spectroscopy in the visible from large ground-based telescopes with natural guide stars", Proc. SPIE 7735, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III, 77350S (14 July 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.855281

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