MAORY stands for Multi-conjugate Adaptive Optics RelaY (the name has been recently changed to MORFEO, which stands for Multiconjugate adaptive Optics For ELT Observations, thus in this article we will use MORFEO), and it is one of the instruments of the European Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). The main function of MORFEO is to relay the light beam from the ELT focal plane to the client instrument (initially MICADO) while compensating, through a multiconjugate adaptive optics system, the effects of the atmospheric turbulence and other disturbances affecting the wavefronts coming from the scientific sources of interest.
The MORFEO instrument is designed and developed by a European consortium composed of INAF (Istituto Nazionale di AstroFisica, Italy), CNRS/INSU (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/ Institut National des Sciences de l’Univers, France), NUIG (National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland) and ESO (European Southern Observatory, Europe).
The opto-mechanical design of MORFEO has been developed in 3 dimensions, using the volume between the ELT output focal plane and the Nasmyth floor. The design uses the available volume in a very efficient way, but this poses constraints on the orientation of the optical elements and adds complexity to the AIT operations. In this paper we describe the strategy of the AIT process which will be performed at INAF-OAS Bologna (Italy), which is conceived to maximize knowledge of the instrument and thereby optimize (and, possibly, minimize) the time requested at Armazones for the AIV operations.The unit has entered the final design and construction phase in July 2015, after an advanced preliminary design. The final design review is planned for fall 2017; thereafter, the unit will enter the construction and test phase. Acceptance in Europe after full optical calibration is planned for 2022, while the delivery to Cerro Armazones will occur in 2023.
Even if the fundamental concept has remained unchanged with respect to the other contactless large deformable mirrors, the specific requirements of the E-ELT unit posed new design challenges that required very peculiar solutions. Therefore, a significant part of the design phase has been focused on the validation of the new aspects, based on analysis, numerical simulations and experimental tests. Several experimental tests have been executed on the Demonstration Prototype, which is the 222 actuators prototype developed in the frame of the advanced preliminary design. We present the main project phases, the current design status and the most relevant results achieved by the validation tests.
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