MICADO is the first-light camera of the ESO ELT, allowing NIR imaging and long-slit spectroscopy assisted by adaptive optics. MICADO is now entering its construction phase, and the software for data reduction is reaching an adequate maturity level. The PSF Reconstruction (PSF-R) of MICADO is a software tool for the blind derivation of the PSF, only using adaptive optics telemetry data. An update of the status of the PSF-R service is provided here. The PSF-R prototype has been tested on ERIS@VLT data in order to check the reconstruction of on- and off-axis PSFs. The on-axis PSF-R is accurate at a few percent level on Strehl, FWHM, Encircled Energy, and half light radius, while for the off-axis case the match is within 10 to 15% at a distance of half isoplanatic angle. The first version of the workflow for the PSF-R pipeline has been developed and verified using the latest release of the ESO data processing system. A set of simulations has been implemented on the morphological analysis of distant galaxies, showing that the accuracy of the PSF-R matches the goals needed to study their morphology. In summary, the PSF-R team is on the right track towards the ELT first light.
The highest scientific return, for adaptive optics (AO) observations, is achieved with a reliable reconstruction of the PSF. This is especially true for MICADO@ELT. In this presentation, we will focus on extending the MICADO PSF reconstruction (PSF-R) method to the off-axis case. Specifically, a novel approach based on temporal-based tomography of AO telemetry data has been recently implemented. Results from the PSF-R of both simulated and real data show that, at half isoplanatic angle distances, a precision of about 10 to 15% is achievable in both Strehl ratio and full-width at half maximum, paving the way to extend the MICADO PSF-R tool also to the multi-conjugated AO case.
The FlyEye design makes its debut in the ESA’s NEOSTEL developed by OHB-Italia. This pioneering FlyEye telescope integrates a monolithic 1-meter class primary mirror feeding 16 CCD cameras for discovering Near- Earth Object (NEO) and any class of transient phenomena. OHB-Italia is the prime contractor, receiving extended support from the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) in the ESA’s NEOSTED program’s integration and testing. The FlyEye distinctive design splits the Field of View into 16 channels, creating a unique multi-telescope system with a panoramic 44 square degree Field of View and a seeing-size pixel-scale, enabling NEOs detection down to apparent magnitudes 21.5 insisting on a 1m diameter spherical mirror. The scientific products of a similar FlyEye telescope can complement facilities such as Vera Rubin (former LSST) and ZTF. The FlyEye has the ability to survey two-thirds of the visible sky about three times per night can revolutionize time-domain astronomy, enabling comprehensive studies of transient phenomena, placing FlyEye in a new era of exploration of the dynamic universe. Efforts to develop automated calibration and testing procedures are keys to realizing this transformative potential.
MICADO is a first light instrument for the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), set to start operating later this decade. It will provide diffraction limited imaging, astrometry, high contrast imaging, and long slit spectroscopy at near-infrared wavelengths. During the initial phase operations, adaptive optics (AO) correction will be provided by its own natural guide star wavefront sensor. In its final configuration, that AO system will be retained and complemented by the laser guide star multi-conjugate adaptive optics module MORFEO (formerly known as MAORY). Among many other things, MICADO will study exoplanets, distant galaxies and stars, and investigate black holes, such as Sagittarius A* at the centre of the Milky Way. After their final design phase, most components of MICADO have moved on to the manufacturing and assembly phase. Here we summarize the final design of the instrument and provide an overview about its current manufacturing status and the timeline. Some lessons learned from the final design review process will be presented in order to help future instrumentation projects to cope with the challenges arising from the substantial differences between projects for 8-10m class telescopes (e.g. ESO’s VLT) and the next generation Extremely Large Telescopes (e.g. ESO’s ELT). Finally, MICADO's expected performance will be discussed in the context of the current landscape of astronomical observatories and instruments. For instance, MICADO will have similar sensitivity as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), but with six times the spatial resolution.
KEYWORDS: Point spread functions, Adaptive optics, Galactic astronomy, Diffraction, Optical transfer functions, Stars, Telescopes, Signal to noise ratio, Calibration, Cameras
Here, we present the status of an ongoing project aimed at developing a point spread function (PSF) reconstruction software for adaptive optics (AO) observations. In particular, we test for the first time the implementation of pyramid wave-front sensor data on our algorithms. As a first step in assessing its reliability, we applied the software to bright, on-axis, point-like sources using two independent sets of observations, acquired with the single-conjugated AO upgrade for the Large Binocular Telescope. Using only telemetry data, we reconstructed the PSF by carefully calibrating the instrument response. The accuracy of the results has been first evaluated using the classical metric: specifically, the reconstructed PSFs differ from the observed ones by <2 % in Strehl ratio and 4.5% in full-width at half maximum. Moreover, the recovered encircled energy associated with the PSF core is accurate at 4% level in the worst case. The accuracy of the reconstructed PSFs has then been evaluated by considering an idealized scientific test-case consisting in the measurements of the morphological parameters of a compact galaxy. In the future, our project will include the analysis of anisoplanatism, low signal-to-noise ratio regimes, and the application to multi-conjugated AO observations.
MICADO is a workhorse instrument for the ESO ELT, allowing first light capability for diffraction limited imaging and long-slit spectroscopy at near-infrared wavelengths. The PSF Reconstruction (PSF-R) Team of MICADO is currently implementing, for the first time within all ESO telescopes, a software service devoted to the blind reconstruction of the PSF. This tool will work independently of the science data, using adaptive optics telemetry data, both for Single Conjugate (SCAO) and Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics (MCAO) allowed by the MORFEO module. The PSF-R service will support the state-of-the-art post-processing scientific analysis of the MICADO imaging and spectroscopic data. We provide here an update of the status of the PSF-R service tool of MICADO, after successfully fulfilling the Final Design Review phase, and discuss recent results obtained on simulated and real data gathered on instruments similar to MICADO.
Current state-of-the-art adaptive optics (AO) provides ground-based, diffraction-limited observations with high Strehl ratios (SR). However, a detailed knowledge of the point spread function (PSF) is required to fully exploit the scientific potential of these data. This is even more crucial for the next generation AO instruments that will equip 30-meter class telescopes, as the characterization of the PSF will be mandatory to fulfill the planned scientific requirements. For this reason, there is a growing interest in developing tools that accurately reconstruct the observed PSF of AO systems, the so-called PSF reconstruction. In this context, a PSF-R service is a planned deliverable for the MICADO@ELT instrument and our group is in charge of its development. In the case of MICADO, a blind PSF-R approach is being pursued to have the widest applicability to science cases. This means that the PSF is reconstructed without extracting information from the science data, relying only on telemetry and calibrations. While our PSF-R algorithm is currently being developed, its implementation is mature enough to test performances with actual observations. In this presentation we will discuss the reliability of our reconstructed PSFs and the uncertainties introduced in the measurements of scientific quantities for bright, on-axis observations taken with the SOUL+LUCI instrument of the LBT. This is the first application of our algorithm to real data. It demonstrates its readiness level and paves the way to further testing. Our PSF-R algorithm is able to reconstruct the SR and full-width at half maximum of the observed PSFs with errors smaller than 2% and 4.5%, respectively. We carried out the scientific evaluation of the obtained reconstructed PSFs thanks to a dedicated set of simulated observations of an ideal science case.
The astronomical applications greatly benefit from the knowledge of the instrument PSF. We describe the PSF Reconstruction algorithm developed for the LBT LUCI instrument assisted by the SOUL SCAO module. The reconstruction procedure considers only synchronous wavefront sensor telemetry data and a few asynchronous calibrations. We do not compute the Optical Transfer Function and corresponding filters. We compute instead a temporal series of wavefront maps and for each of these the corresponding instantaneous PSF. We tested the algorithm both in laboratory arrangement and in the nighttime for different SOUL configurations, adapting it to the guide star magnitudes and seeing conditions. We nick-named it “BRUTE”, Blind Reconstruction Using TElemetry, also recalling the one-to-one approach, one slope-to one instantaneous PSF the algorithm applies.
KEYWORDS: Spectrographs, Stars, Chemical elements, Ultraviolet radiation, Telescopes, Galactic astronomy, Sensors, Astronomy, Signal to noise ratio, Near ultraviolet
In the era of Extremely Large Telescopes, the current generation of 8-10m facilities are likely to remain competitive at ground-UV wavelengths for the foreseeable future. The Cassegrain U-Band Efficient Spectrograph (CUBES) has been designed to provide high-efficiency (> 40%) observations in the near UV (305-400 nm requirement, 300-420 nm goal) at a spectral resolving power of R >20, 000 (with a lower-resolution, sky-limited mode of R ~7, 000). With the design focusing on maximizing the instrument throughput (ensuring a Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) ~20 per high-resolution element at 313 nm for U ~18.5 mag objects in 1h of observations), it will offer new possibilities in many fields of astrophysics, providing access to key lines of stellar spectra: a tremendous diversity of iron-peak and heavy elements, lighter elements (in particular Beryllium) and light-element molecules (CO, CN, OH), as well as Balmer lines and the Balmer jump (particularly important for young stellar objects). The UV range is also critical in extragalactic studies: the circumgalactic medium of distant galaxies, the contribution of different types of sources to the cosmic UV background, the measurement of H2 and primordial Deuterium in a regime of relatively transparent intergalactic medium, and follow-up of explosive transients. The CUBES project completed a Phase A conceptual design in June 2021 and has now entered the detailed design and construction phase. First science operations are planned for 2028.
The point spread function reconstruction (PSF-R) capability is a deliverable of the MICADO@ESO-ELT project. The PSF-R team works on the implementation of the instrument software devoted to reconstruct the point spread function (PSF), independently of the science data, using adaptive optics (AO) telemetry data, both for Single Conjugate (SCAO) and Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics (MCAO) mode of the MICADO camera and spectrograph. The PSF-R application will provide reconstructed PSFs through an archive querying system to restore the telemetry data synchronous to each science frame that MICADO will generate. Eventually, the PSF-R software will produce the output according to user specifications. The PSF-R service will support the state-of-the-art scientific analysis of the MICADO imaging and spectroscopic data.
Since the very beginning of 2008, the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) is officially equipped with it's first binocular
instrument ready for science observations: the Large Binocular Camera (LBC). This is a double CCD imager, installed at
the prime focus stations of the two 8.4m telescopes of LBT, able to obtain deep and wide field images in the whole
optical spectrum from UV to NIR wavelengths.
We present here the overall architecture of the instrument, a brief hardware review of the two imagers and notes how
observations are carried on. At the end we report preliminary results on the performances of the instrument along with
some images obtained during the first months of observations in binocular mode.
ONIRICA, standing for OWL Near InfraRed Imaging Camera, is a pre-Phase A, conceptual design study to assess the feasibility of an imaging camera for a 100m class telescope. In this paper the main scientific driven and the adopted preliminary choices for its optomechanical implementation are reviewed.
The LBC (Large Binocular Camera) Image Simulator is a package for generating artificial images in the typical FITS format. It operates on real or artificial images, simulating the expected performances of real instruments including several observing conditions (filters, air-mass, flat-field, exposure time) and creating images with the LBC instrumental artifacts (optical deformations, noise, CCD architectures). This simulator can be used also to produce artificial images for other existing and future telescopes, since it is very flexible on its structure. The main aim of LBCSIM is to support the development of pipeline and data analysis procedure able to cope with wide field imaging and fast reduction of huge amount of photometric data. The software consists of three stand alone programs written in C language, using IRAF and running under Linux OS. The LBC Image Simulator is built with particular attention to the Virtual Observatory and Data Grid applications. In this paper, we first describe the software, the performances and several tests carried out before the public release and some examples for the users. In particular, we compared the Hubble Deep Field South (HDFS) as seen by FORS1 with a simulated image and found that the agreement is good. Then, we use this software to predict the expected performances of the LBC instrument by means of realistic simulations of deep field observations with the LBT telescope.
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