PILOT: Pathfinder for an International Large Optical Telescope -performance specifications JACARA Science Meeting PILOT Friday March 26 Anglo Australian Observatory Jon Lawrence

The data Turbulence: –SODAR (winter 2003/4) –MASS (winter 2004) –DIMM (summer 2003/04) Sky temperature and opacity –SUMMIT (winter 2003/4) –MIR FTI (summer 2003/4) Met data –COBBER (winter 2003/4) –ICECAM (summer 2003/4) –AWS (winter 2004) –met balloons (summer ) Turbulence: –SODAR (winter 2000/1) –DIMM (winter 2000/01) –microthermals (winter 1996) Sky temperature and opacity –SUMMIT (winter 2003/4) –MIR FTI (summer 2002/3) –MISM (winter 1998) –NISM (winter 2000) Met data –AWS –met balloons DOME C South Pole

Seeing Data Dome C /3 DIMM summer 2002: median seeing 1.2 arcsec (Aristidi et al, 2003) SODAR summer/ winter 2003: median seeing ~0.08 arcsec (33 % floor 0.05)

Seeing Data Dome C /4 DIMM summer 2003/4: data not yet reduced median seeing < 1.1 arcsec (~ arcsec) isoplanatic angle ~ 10 arcsec

C N 2 profile Dome C Bad r 0 = 0.05 m (1.8 arcsec seeing) r 0 = 0.2 m (0.5 arcsec seeing)  iso = 9.5 arcsec f G = 30 Hz  iso = 13.5 arcsec f G = 7 Hz

C N 2 profile Dome C Good r 0 = 0.05 m (1.8 arcsec seeing) r 0 = 0.7 m (0.15 arcsec seeing) r 0 = 0.2 m (0.5 arcsec seeing)  iso = 9.5 arcsec f G = 30 Hz  iso = 30 arcsec f G = 2Hz  iso = 13.5 arcsec f G = 7 Hz

C N 2 profile Mauna Kea  iso = 2 arcsec f G = 50 Hz r 0 = 0.20 m (0.50 arcsec seeing)  iso = 9.5 arcsec f G = 30 Hz r 0 = 0.05 m (1.8 arcsec seeing)  iso = 30 arcsec f G = 2Hz r 0 = 0.7 m (0.15 arcsec seeing)  iso = 13.5 arcsec f G = 7 Hz r 0 = 0.2 m (0.50 arcsec seeing)

Atmospheric parameters seeing (arcsec)isoplanatic angleGreenwood (arcsec)Frequency (Hz) Mauna Kea Dome C

Atmospheric parameters seeing (arcsec)isoplanatic angleGreenwood (arcsec)Frequency (Hz) Mauna Kea Dome C ? ?

Adaptive Optics wavefront sensor wavefront analysis wavefront control centroid sensor dichroic beam splitters to tip-tilt secondary image camera telescope optics guide star object tip-tilt control deformable mirror

PILOT AO systems Tip-tilt –tip-tilt mirror + quad sensor Low Order AO –ds=0.3 (30-50 actuators) High Order AO –ds=0.08 ( actuators)

PILOT AO system performance Low Greenwood frequency: –lower feedback loop frequency –higher integration time –fainter stars lower SNR/bandwidth errors Large isoplanatic angle –larger fields –brighter stars low anisoplanatic error Better seeing (lower r0) –less actuators lower fitting error

Strehl ratio - V band On-axis low order DCG DCB MK

Strehl Ratio

Strehl ratio - K band (tip-tilt correction) DCB DCG On-axis Off-axis

Diff lim 2m Uncomp DCB Uncomp DCG

Diff lim 2m DCB off-axis DCG off-axis on-axis Uncomp DCB Uncomp DCG

Diff lim 2m DCB off-axis DCG off-axis on-axis Uncomp MK Uncomp DCG Uncomp DCB Gemini altair Diff lim 8 m

Sky emission MK Emission = 0° C

Sky emission Emission = -63° C SP

Sky emission Emission = -66° C DC

Sky Transmission - NIR/MIR MK

Sky Transmission - NIR/MIR DC

Relative integration time : MK versus SP, DC, DA

Relative integration time : 8m MK versus 2 m DC PILOT diffraction limit

Relative integration time : 8m MK versus 2 m DC PILOT Seeing limit - extended object

Relative integration time : 8m MK versus 2 m DC PILOT Seeing limit - extended object

Possible PILOT Instruments Visible (AO-on) imaging:  4k array (0.03 arcsec/pixel) = 2.3 arcmin FOV NIR wide field imaging JHK bands:  4k array (0.6 arcsec/pixel) = 10 arcmin FOV DF imaging KLM bands:  1k array (0.23 arcsec/pixel) = 4 arcmin FOV MIR imaging N band:  0.5k array (0.7 arcsec/pixel) = 6 arcmin FOV

V band imaging - AO on Point source ext object

K band imaging - tip tilt Point source ext object

N band imaging Point source ext object

Summary Visible AO system ( actuators plus tip-tilt): –near diff lim for on-axis stars 8-12 mag –off-axis reasonable performance up to 1-2 arcmin –highest ground based resolution!! –mirror figure error is very important < 50 nm rms required –spectroscopy? Near Infrared K band imaging: –tip-tilt correction is enough for near diff lim ( arcsec) –equivalent to 8m ML telescope for extended object, 5m for point source –wide field or narrow field science? Mid-Infrared imaging: –niche is wide field sensitivity