Measuring IRTF image quality and modeled improvement through use of FELIX and the prototype adaptive secondary mirror

Cuc K. Dinh; John T. Rayner; Charles Lockhart; Mark Chun; Mike Connelley

doi:10.1117/12.3018056

11 September 2024 Measuring IRTF image quality and modeled improvement through use of FELIX and the prototype adaptive secondary mirror

Cuc K. Dinh, John T. Rayner, Charles Lockhart, Mark Chun, Mike Connelley

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 13094, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes X; 130944H (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3018056
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2024, Yokohama, Japan

Conference Poster

Abstract

Image quality on the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) is currently limited by telescope-induced aberrations when seeing is good. We have measured telescope image quality as a function of telescope pointing over several recent epochs to quantify these aberrations. Using the measured aberrations and seeing, we “Donut” modeled the expected image quality improvements through applications of the soon-to-be commissioned off-axis Shack-Hartmann (S-H) wavefront sensor and CCD camera, FELIX. The average telescope-induced wavefront error without defocus is 0.7 ± 0.04μm RMS, the largest contributor being astigmatism (∼0.21μm RMS). Uncorrected images would require ∼ 2 times longer integration times to compensate for light loss through seeing-limited slits. Our models indicate that active control of the hexapod-mounted secondary mirror by a 2x2 S-H in FELIX can accurately correct the largest current aberration (defocus). However, a 3x3 S-H is needed to correct higher-order telescope aberrations using the proposed Adaptive Secondary Mirror (ASM).

(2024) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Citation Download Citation

Cuc K. Dinh, John T. Rayner, Charles Lockhart, Mark Chun, and Mike Connelley "Measuring IRTF image quality and modeled improvement through use of FELIX and the prototype adaptive secondary mirror", Proc. SPIE 13094, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes X, 130944H (11 September 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3018056

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