First Results from the CaNaPy Project: Demonstration of Visible LGS-AO with a Pyramid Wavefront Sensor

Le résumé fourni par la source

The CaNaPy project, developed by ESO in collaboration with ESA and institutions from member states, is a technology demonstrator aimed at exploring and validating advanced adaptive optics (AO) techniques in the visible using a Laser Guide Star (LGS). The project’s goal is to further mature LGS-AO technologies and demonstrate the feasibility and performance of new AO architectures for future LGS-assisted instruments. CaNaPy also serves as a flexible and modular testbed, supporting future collaborative experiments with the community and ESA. Installed on the ESA Optical Ground Station's 1-meter telescope at the Teide Observatory in Tenerife, CaNaPy employs a 60 W pulsed LGS, a pyramid wavefront sensor for LGS measurements, and a Shack-Hartmann sensor for natural guide star (NGS) wavefront sensing. The laser is launched in a monostatic configuration to assess the benefits of uplink pre-compensation compared to more conventional bistatic LGS-AO setups. The deformable mirror (DM) used for atmospheric compensation in closed-loop AO is common to both the uplink and downlink beams. Optimized for high-order wavefront correction at visible wavelengths, the system aims to demonstrate uplink beam pre-compensation to minimize LGS spot size in the mesosphere, and to close the AO loop on the pre-compensated LGS using the pyramid sensor. In this presentation, we will report the first on-sky closed-loop results and provide an analysis of system performance under varying atmospheric conditions.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.