Design of the 6.5-m MMT Adaptive Optics System and results from its prototype system FASTTRAC II

Michael Lloyd-Hart; James Roger P. Angel; David G. Sandler; Todd D. Groesbeck; Ty Martinez; Bruce P. Jacobsen

doi:10.1117/12.269123

21 March 1997 Design of the 6.5-m MMT Adaptive Optics System and results from its prototype system FASTTRAC II

Michael Lloyd-Hart, James Roger P. Angel, David G. Sandler, Todd D. Groesbeck, Ty Martinez, Bruce P. Jacobsen

Proceedings Volume 2871, Optical Telescopes of Today and Tomorrow; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.269123
Event: Optical Telescopes of Today and Tomorrow, 1996, Landskrona/Hven, Sweden

Abstract

The first images of astronomical objects have been obtained with a telescope exploiting wavefront compensation with adaptive optics where the reference beacon was generated by laser excitation of mesospheric sodium. This was done using the FASTTRAC II low-order adaptive optics system at the multiple mirror telescope (MMT). FASTTRAC II is a prototype for a full-scale adaptive optics system under construction for the 6.5 m telescope that will replace the MMT in late 1997. The 6.5 m system is designed to provide correction to the diffraction limit of resolution in the near infrared (1 - 5 micrometer) with high Strehl ratio and excellent sky coverage. This paper describes the new system and its expected performance in view of the achieved performance of FASTTRAC II.

Citation Download Citation

Michael Lloyd-Hart, James Roger P. Angel, David G. Sandler, Todd D. Groesbeck, Ty Martinez, and Bruce P. Jacobsen "Design of the 6.5-m MMT Adaptive Optics System and results from its prototype system FASTTRAC II", Proc. SPIE 2871, Optical Telescopes of Today and Tomorrow, (21 March 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.269123

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