Keck Precision Adaptive Optics

Authors: Christopher Neyman1, Richard Dekany2, Mitchell Troy3

and Peter Wizinowich1.
1
W.M. Keck Observatory,2California Institute of
Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory3.

Abstract:

Keck Observatory, with the guidance of the Keck Adaptive Optics (AO) Working Group,
has recently embarked on a conceptual design for the Observatory’s next-generation AO
facility. This Keck Precision Adaptive Optics (KPAO) system is envisioned as delivering
stable high Strehl ratio infrared images in moderate field-of-view areas throughout the
sky. Such a system would allow Keck to take the lead in general use high-precision AO, in
which many of the scientific advances in high-resolution imaging are currently thought to
be. The top-level KPAO requirements are very demanding and are in many ways similar
to those for future 30-m AO systems; especially the total rms wavefront error budget
of 120 nm.
AO Time Line
Unique Features of KPAO
•High Strehl AO, S~0.8 (1-2 mm wavelength)
•High sky coverage
•Moderate field of view, anisoplanatism limited.
•Larger fields from a mosaic of several images
(Not MCAO)
•See example of mosaic image with current LGS
system (Galactic Center Observations, Keck
LGSAO team, this Conference)
•Still have good PSF knowledge over FOV
•Automatic optimization and calibration
•Facility class AO system
KPAO Science:
•Global Changes on Pluto
•Smaller icy solar system objects outside range of current AO, Pluto is the
prototype object, Pluto in only 0.1 arcsec.
•Planetary rotation plus PSF stability needed for a reliable map
•Complimentary to HST UV maps
•Too faint for NGS X-AO

•Low Mass stars in Binaries and Clusters.

•Companion searches with current AO limited by Stehl stability
•Too faint for NGS X-AO
•Need precise photometry (Stable Strehl and Good Calibration)
•Low mass limit in clusters can be pushed to Jupiter masses and lower

•Star formation in quasar host

•Young stellar population in QSO hosts, role of mergers between galaxies
•First gen. LGS AO likely to have highly variable PSF
•Can’t reliably separate host galaxies from QSO
•High Strehl stability plus LGS
•See PSF simulation below
Demonstration of Concept Error Budgets 180nm:
Demonstration of Concept Error Budgets 120nm:
Error Budgets Assumptions:
•Scaling laws only, no Monte Carlo simulations
•Set Tip/tilt guide star to visual magnitude 17,
•NGS is on axis,
•At present no wind shake,
•Exact details for faintness limits not investigated at this time
•Used CELT report No. 34 (Green Book) for multiple LGS error,
•The Green Book Tomography error assumes LGS at infinity
•No modeling of laser saturations effect
•Only a first cut at optimization
 KPAO Point Design:

Comparison of key system parameters for current Keck LGS system and KPAO

Keck I/II KPAO (180 nm) KPAO (120 nm)

DM Actuators 349 ~500 ~2000

Sub. Aperture 56.2 cm 40 cm 20 cm
LGS 0/1 5 9
Laser Power 10 W 5x 5W/LGS 9 x 20W/LGS (+uplink AO)
Frame Rate 672 1000 Hz (400) 1000 Hz (650)
CCD read noise 7e- 3e- 3e-
KPAO Requirements Document
• Keck Precision Adaptive Optics: Technical Requirements and Constraints
7/13/2003 (KAON 237) See Handouts.

•The Authors along with Keck AO working group began the process of
investigating and documenting the top-level requirements for KPAO. We
discuss list some preliminary design goals. We then discuss a number of
design constraints (additional requirements) imposed by the implementation
of a KPAO system at Keck Observatory.

•Summary of high level requirements:

•High IR Strehl
•High Strehl Stability
•Moderate FOV
•Near Complete Sky Coverage
•Good Knowledge of the Delivered PSF
•Facility Class Instrument
PSF Simulation:
•Simulated PSF from empirical model of AO corrected phase structure function.

•Phase structure function should be Kolmogorov at low spatial frequencies and flat at high frequencies
if AO system was perfect. Empirical model fits these two extreme cases.

•Point spread function calculated from Fourier transform of system optical transfer function.

Comparison Strehls for KECK AO:

KECK NGS AO, S = 0.6 K band 260nm RMS (Marcos Van Dam),

Keck LGS AO S~0.23 K band 425nm RMS (Antonin Bouchez)

KPAO 120 nm S= 0.77 KPAO 180 nm S= 0.89

Future

•WMKO support FY05 2.5 FTE includes fulltime lead (1 st author)

•Collaborations with CfAO and TMT including:

•TMT and CfAO funded Postdoc position

(Advertised Sept. 2004 see handout and http://www2.keck.hawaii.edu/jobs/index.html)

• Coordination of TMT, GMT and KPAO simulation/analysis and sharing of information

•Determination of Keck Specific parameters, such as:

•telescope wavefront errors (segment warping, stacking and phasing)

•windshake

•vibrations

•Seeing, Outerscale and Cn2 profile.

•Full Simulation of KPAO

•Modeled with ARROYO

•compared to equivalent MCAO systems

• Conceptual level design by October 2005.