Friday, October 28, 2011
Hall 1-2 (San Jose Convention Center)
Our research involved the integration and testing of high-speed closed loop control software into Pomona College’s adaptive optics (AO) testbed. This software is a critical piece of the astronomical AO system meant to dramatically increase image performance on Pomona College’s Table Mountain Observatory telescope (TMO). The components under control include a deformable mirror, a wavefront sensor, and a piezo-electric tip-tilt mirror. Using a laser as a point source in our optical system, we were able to characterize aspects of our closed loop control. Accurate and precise optical alignment as well as getting the correct software mappings between components were necessary to make our reconstructor matrix work properly under software control. We were successful in closing the loop to form diffraction limited images, complete with diagnostic telemetry. The next step in the project is to transfer this control system to an optical breadboard-based prototype that will be tested on-sky at TMO. This system is designed to use off-axis parabolic mirrors rather than lenses to increase optical throughput. With the unification of these components functioning with software control, Pomona College’s adaptive optics instrument is one step closer to completion.