GRAVITY+ adaptive optics (GPAO) tests in Europe
Abstract
We present in this proceeding the results of the test phase of the GRAVITY+ adaptive optics. This extreme AO will enable both high-dynamic range observations of faint companions (including exoplanets) thanks to a 40x40 sub-apertures wavefront control, and sensitive observations (including AGNs) thanks to the addition of a laser guide star to each UT of the VLT. This leap forward is made thanks to a mostly automated setup of the AO, including calibration of the NCPAs, that we tested in Europe on the UT+atmosphere simulator we built in Nice. We managed to reproduce in laboratory the expected performances of all the modes of the AO, including under non-optimal atmospheric or telescope alignment conditions, giving us the green light to proceed with the Assembly, Integration and Verification phase in Paranal.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2506.03721,
title = {GRAVITY+ adaptive optics (GPAO) tests in Europe},
author = {Florentin Millour and Guillaume Bourdarot and Jean-Baptiste Le Bouquin and Anthony Berdeu and Mathis Houllé and Philippe Berio and Thibaut Paumard and Denis Defrère and Paulo Garcia and Ferreol Soulez and Sebastian Hoenig and Fatmé Allouche and Martin Bachbucher and Christophe Bailet and Cyrille Blanchard and Olivier Boebion and Henri Bonnet and Amit Brara and Marcel Carbillet and Stephan Czempiel and Alain Delboulbé and Roderick Dembet and Clémence Edouard and Frank Eisenhauer and Halmut Feuchtgruber and Christoph Furchstsam and Stefan Gillessen and Armin Goldbrunner and Tiago Gomes and Carole Gouvret and Sylvain Guieu and Michael Hartl and Johannes Hartwig and Frank Haussmann and David Huber and Ihsan Ibn Taïeb and Johann Kolb and Stéphane Lagarde and Olivier Lai and James Leftley and Dieter Lutz and Yves Magnard and Hugo Nowacki and Sylvain Oberti and Thomas Ott and Christian Rau and Sylvie Robbe-Dubois and Jules Scigliuto and Franz Soller and Pavel Shchekaturov and Daniel Schuppe and Eric Stadler and Sinem Uysal and Felix Widmann and Ekherhard Wieprecht and Julien Woillez and Senol Yazici},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2506.03721},
year = {2025}
}