Pathfinder first light: alignment, calibration, and commissioning of the LINC-NIRVANA ground-layer adaptive optics subsystem

We present descriptions of the alignment and calibration tests of the Pathfinder, which achieved first light during our 2013 commissioning campaign at the LBT. The full LINC-NIRVANA instrument is a Fizeau interferometric imager with fringe tracking and 2-layer natural guide star multi-conjugate adaptive optics (MCAO) systems on each eye of the LBT. The MCAO correction for each side is achieved using a ground layer wavefront sensor that drives the LBT adaptive secondary mirror and a mid-high layer wavefront sensor that drives a Xinetics 349 actuator DM conjugated to an altitude of 7.1 km. When the LINC-NIRVANA MCAO system is commissioned, it will be one of only two such systems on an 8-meter telescope and the only such system in the northern hemisphere. In order to mitigate risk, we take a modular approach to commissioning by decoupling and testing the LINC-NIRVANA subsystems individually. The Pathfinder is the ground-layer wavefront sensor for the DX eye of the LBT. It uses 12 pyramid wavefront sensors to optically co-add light from natural guide stars in order to make four pupil images that sense ground layer turbulence. Pathfinder is now the first LINC-NIRVANA subsystem to be fully integrated with the telescope and commissioned on sky. Our 2013 commissioning campaign consisted of 7 runs at the LBT with the tasks of assembly, integration and communication with the LBT telescope control system, alignment to the telescope optical axis, off-sky closed loop AO calibration, and finally closed loop on-sky AO. We present the programmatics of this campaign, along with the novel designs of our alignment scheme and our off-sky calibration test, which lead to the Pathfinders first on-sky closed loop images.

Laboratory Results and Status Update for Pathfinder at LBT, The LINC-NIRVANA NGS Ground- Layer AO Subsystem

The full LINC-NIRVANA instrument will be one of the most complex ground-based astronomical systems ever built. It will consist of multiple subsystems, including two multi-conjugate ground layer AO systems (MCAO) that drive the LBT adaptive secondaries, two mid-high layer AO systems with their own Xynetics 349 actuator DMs , a fringe tracker, a beam combiner, and the NIR science camera. In order to mitigate risk, we take a modular approach to instrument testing and commissioning by decoupling these subsystems individually. The first subsystem tested on-sky will be one of the ground-layer AO systems, part of a test-bed known as the Pathfinder. The Pathfinder consists of a 12-star pyramid wavefront sensor (PWFS) that drives one of the LBTs adaptive secondaries, a support structure known as The Foot, and the infrared test camera (IRTC), which is used for acquisition and alignment. The 12 natural guide stars are acquired by moveable arms called star enlargers, each of which contains its own optical path. The Pathfinder was shipped from MPIA in Heidelberg, Germany to the LBT mountain lab on Mt. Graham, Arizona in February 2013. The system was unpacked, assembled in the LBT clean room, and internally optically aligned. We present the results of our system tests, including star enlarger alignment and system alignment. We also present our immediate plans for on-sky closed loop tests on the LBT scheduled for late Fall. Because plans for all ELTs call for ground layer correction, the Pathfinder provides valuable preliminary information not only for the full LINC-NIRVANA system, but also for future advanced MCAO systems.

Status Update and Closed-Loop Performance of the Magellan Adaptive Optics VisAO Camera

We present laboratory results of the closed-loop performance of the Magellan Adaptive Optics (AO) Adaptive Secondary Mirror (ASM), pyramid wavefront sensor (PWFS), and VisAO visible adaptive optics camera. The Magellan AO system is a 585-actuator low-emissivity high-throughput system scheduled for first light on the 6.5 meter Magellan Clay telescope in November 2012. Using a dichroic beamsplitter near the telescope focal plane, the AO system will be able to simultaneously perform visible (500-1000 nm) AO science with our VisAO camera and either 10 micron or 3-5 micron science using either the BLINC/MIRAC4 or CLIO cameras, respectively. The ASM, PWS, and VisAO camera have undergone final system tests in the solar test tower at the Arcetri Institute in Florence, Italy, reaching Strehls of 37% in i-band with 400 modes and simulated turbulence of 14 cm ro at v-band. We present images and test results of the assembled VisAO system, which includes our prototype advanced Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector (ADC), prototype calcite Wollaston prisms for SDI imaging, and a suite of beamsplitters, filters, and other optics. Our advanced ADC performs in the lab as designed and is a 58% improvement over conventional ADC designs. We also present images and results of our unique Calibration Return Optic (CRO) test system and the ASM, which has successfully run in closed- loop at 1kHz. The CRO test is a retro reflecting optical test that allows us to test the ASM off-sky in close-loop using an artificial star formed by a fiber source.