Upgrading SPHERE with the second stage AO system SAXO+: RTC preliminary design

F. Ferreira; A. Sevin; D. Gratadour; G. Chauvin; E. Diolaiti; R. Gratton; M. Loupias; J. Milli; F. Wildi; A. Boccaletti

doi:10.1117/12.3018347

27 August 2024 Upgrading SPHERE with the second stage AO system SAXO+: RTC preliminary design

F. Ferreira, A. Sevin, D. Gratadour, G. Chauvin, E. Diolaiti, R. Gratton, M. Loupias, J. Milli, F. Wildi, A. Boccaletti

Proceedings Volume 13097, Adaptive Optics Systems IX; 130974M (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3018347
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2024, Yokohama, Japan

Conference Poster

Abstract

The Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch instrument has now been in operation at the VLT for more than 5 years, demonstrating a high level of performance. SPHERE has produced outstanding results using a variety of operating modes, primarily in the field of direct imaging of exoplanetary systems, focusing on exoplanets as point sources and circumstellar disks as extended objects. The achievements obtained thus far with SPHERE have motivated a large consortium to propose an upgrade: the SPHERE+ project capitalizes on the expertise and lessons learned from SPHERE to push high contrast imaging performance to its limits on the VLT 8m-telescope. The proposed upgrade takes the form of a high-speed adaptive optics second stage, SAXO+, including a deformable mirror, a pyramid wavefront sensor, and a Real-Time Controller (RTC). Paving the way toward PCS, SAXO+ can be seen as a technical demonstrator for advanced AO control strategies, with a fast-track development aiming at the first light in 2027. In this context, the RTC is a core component that must be flexible enough to handle various control strategies, including AI, while ensuring high efficiency to be able to control the AO loop at high frame-rate. To achieve those goals, COSMIC has been selected to provide the required hard real-time capabilities, supplemented by the ESO RTC Toolkit for the implementation of soft real-time clustering. This paper will focus on the SAXO+ RTC preliminary design, including the main features of the RTC and preliminary benchmark results.

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

Citation Download Citation

F. Ferreira, A. Sevin, D. Gratadour, G. Chauvin, E. Diolaiti, R. Gratton, M. Loupias, J. Milli, F. Wildi, and A. Boccaletti "Upgrading SPHERE with the second stage AO system SAXO+: RTC preliminary design", Proc. SPIE 13097, Adaptive Optics Systems IX, 130974M (27 August 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3018347

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available