Related papers: A dedicated tool for a full 3D Cn2 investigation
Real-time seeing and outer scale estimation at the location of the focus of a telescope is fundamental for the adaptive optics systems dimensioning and performance prediction, as well as for the operational aspects of instruments. This…
We present the first results of the site testing performed at Mt.~Shatdzhatmaz at Northern Caucasus, where the new Sternberg astronomical institute 2.5-m telescope will be installed. An automatic site monitor instrumentation and…
Deflection of light along the optical path is a major source of image degradation for ground-based telescopes. Methods have been developed to measure upper atmospheric seeing based on models of the turbulence in the atmosphere, but due to…
KM3NeT, currently under construction in the abysses of the Mediterranean Sea, is a distributed research infrastructure that will host a km3-scale neutrino telescope (ARCA) for high-energy neutrino astronomy, and a megaton scale detector…
Optical integral-field spectroscopy was used to investigate the planetary nebula NGC 3242. We analysed the main morphological components of this source, including its knots, but not the halo. In addition to revealing the properties ofthe…
We present measurements of optical turbulence (OT) power inside the telescope dome using an instrument registering fluctuations of intensity of a bright star at a plane conjugated to -2 km below the pupil of the telescope - Domecam. The…
Knowledge of the Earth's atmospheric optical turbulence is critical for astronomical instrumentation. Not only does it enable performance verification and optimisation of existing systems but it is required for the design of future…
Dome seeing is a known source of image quality degradation, but despite tremendous progress in wavefront control with the development of adaptive optics and environmental control through implementation of dome venting, surprisingly little…
Recent observations of small bodies of the Solar System showed evidence of the presence of refractory (asteroidal) material in the Oort cloud. Different models of the origin of the Solar System predict different numbers of rocky objects in…
Knowledge of the optical turbulence profile is important in adaptive optics (AO) systems, particularly tomographic AO systems such as those to be employed by the next generation of 40 m class extremely large telescopes (ELTs). Site…
Several site-testing programs and observatories currently use combined MASS-DIMM instruments for monitoring parameters of optical turbulence. The instrument is described here. After a short recall of the measured quantities and operational…
With the prospect of the next generation of ground-based telescopes, the extremely large telescopes (ELTs), increasingly complex and demanding adaptive optics (AO) systems are needed. This is to compensate for image distortion caused by…
Detecting the presence of circumstellar dust around nearby solar-type main sequence stars is an important pre-requisite for the design of future life-finding space missions such as ESA's Darwin or NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF). The…
Theoretical predictions for neutrino fluxes indicate that km$^{3}$ scale detectors are needed to detect certain astrophysical sources. The three Mediterranean experiments, ANTARES, NEMO and NESTOR are working together on a design study,…
We present low-resolution turbulence profiles of the atmosphere above Dome C, Antarctica, measured with the MASS instrument during 25 nights in March-May 2004. Except for the lowest layer, Dome C has significantly less turbulence than Cerro…
The NOMAD experiment has been designed to search for neutrino-tau appearance in the CERN wide-band neutrino beam . The detector is now completed and has been further improved. All subdetectors are working well. The experiment, where the…
Several astronomical surveys aimed at the investigation of the extragalactic components were carried out in order to map systematically the universe and its constituents. An excellent level of detail is needed, and it is possible only using…
Current projects for large telescopes demand a proper knowledge of atmospheric turbulence to design efficient adaptive optics systems in order to reach large Strehl ratios. However, the proper characterization of the turbulence above a…
We present results from the first year of a campaign to characterize and monitor the optical turbulence profile at the SAAO Sutherland observing station in South Africa. A MASS-DIMM (MultiAperture Scintillation Sensor - Differential Image…
In this contribution, we present the most recent progresses we obtained in the context of a long-term program we undertook since a few years towards the implementation of operational forecast systems (a) on top-class ground-based telescopes…