Astrophysics Seminar

The adaptive optics (AO) technology unfolds the capabilities of ground-based telescopes and opens new horizons. A cost-effective and resilient laser-guided single conjugated adaptive optics system offers the opportunity to a significant number of existing 1-4-meter telescopes. This opens the door for medium-sized telescopes to pursue cutting-edge scientific research that may be challenging to achieve with larger observatories due to a scarcity of time for various survey observations. The medium-class telescope, equipped with adaptive optics along with advanced image processing, provides unprecedented image quality in terms of Spatial resolution (sub-arcsec), high cadence with high SNR.

Here, we present a robust Rayleigh scattered laser-guided single conjugated adaptive optics system called SALTO, which was designed, built, and tested in the Belgian countryside on a 1-meter class telescope and an automated robotic adaptive optics system called iRobo-AO for IUCAA 2m telescope. These projects aim to demonstrate the possibility of rejuvenating the scientific goals of medium-class telescopes with AO technology, as well as to enable optical telecommunication from relatively poor observing sites. This talk discusses the overall study of the design of the AO system, from the optics to the control system. It also includes a description of the integration and calibration of SALTO. It concludes with the presentation of successful on-sky results at 1.55µm under 2-3'' seeing.