The Gemini Planet Imager instrument's adaptive optics (AO) subsystem was designed specifically to facilitate high-contrast imaging. It features several new technologies, including computationally efficient wavefront reconstruction with the Fourier transform, modal gain optimization every 8 seconds, and the spatially filtered wavefront sensor. It also uses a Linear-Quadratic-Gaussian (LQG) controller (aka Kalman filter) for both pointing and focus. We present on-sky performance results from verification and commissioning runs from December 2013 through May 2014. The efficient reconstruction and modal gain optimization are working as designed. The LQG controllers effectively notch out vibrations. The spatial filter can remove aliases, but we typically use it oversized by about 60% due to stability problems.
@article{arxiv.1407.2278,
title = {On-sky performance during verification and commissioning of the Gemini Planet Imager's adaptive optics system},
author = {Lisa A. Poyneer and Robert J. De Rosa and Bruce Macintosh and David W. Palmer and Marshall D. Perrin and Naru Sadakuni and Dmitry Savransky and Brian Bauman and Andrew Cardwell and Jeffrey K. Chilcote and Daren Dillon and Donald Gavel and Stephen J. Goodsell and Markus Hartung and Pascale Hibon and Fredrik T. Rantakyro and Sandrine Thomas and Jean-Pierre Veran},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1407.2278},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
Presented at SPIE 9148 on 23 June 2014. Submitted to Proceedings on 20 June 2014