Related papers: Optical turbulence profiling with Stereo-SCIDAR fo…
Atmospheric profiling is a requirement for controlling wide-field Adaptive Optics (AO) instruments, analyzing the AO performance with respect to the observing conditions and predicting the Point Spread Function (PSF) spatial variations. We…
The Mid-infrared ELT Imager and Spectrograph (METIS) is a first-generation instrument for the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), Europe's next-generation 39 m ground-based telescope for optical and infrared wavelengths. METIS will offer…
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…
In two recent papers the mesoscale model Meso-NH, joint with the Astro-Meso-NH package, has been validated at Dome C, Antarctica, for the characterization of the optical turbulence. It has been shown that the meteorological parameters…
In this contribution we present preliminary results of a study applied to the Observatories of Roque de Los Muchachos (La Palma) and Teide (Tenerife) in Canary Islands aiming to investigate the possibility to implement an automatic system…
METIS is one of the three first-light instruments planned for the ELT, mainly dedicated to high contrast imaging in the mid-infrared. On the SPHERE high-contrast instrument currently installed at the VLT, we observe that one of the main…
Site measurements were collected at Mount John University Observatory in 2005 and 2007 using a purpose-built scintillation detection and ranging system. $C_n^2(h)$ profiling indicates a weak layer located at 12 - 14 km above sea level and…
ESO's two FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrographs (FORS) are the primary imaging cameras for the VLT. Since they are not direct-imaging cameras, the accuracy of photometry which can routinely be obtained is limited by significant sky…
We probe turbulence structure from centimetric to metric scales by simultaneous imagery at mid-infrared and visible wavelengths at the VLT telescope and show that it departs significantly from the commonly used Kolmogorov model. The data…
Context. The GRAVITY instrument on the ESO VLTI is setting a new mark in the landscape of optical interferometers. Long exposures are possible for the first time in this wavelength domain, delivering a dramatic improvement for astrophysics.…
The ability to accurately predict the contrast achieved from high contrast imagers is important for efficient scheduling and quality control measures in modern observatories. We aim to consistently predict and measure the raw contrast…
In the context of the MOSE project, in this contribution we present a detailed analysis of the Meso-NH mesoscale model performances and their dependency on the model and orography horizontal resolutions in proximity of the ground. The…
Twilight studies have proved to be important tools to analyze the atmospheric structure with interesting consequences on the characterization of astronomical sites. Active discussions on this topic have been recently restarted in connection…
Astronomical seeing is quantified by a single parameter, turbulence integral, in the framework of the Kolmogorov turbulence model. This parameter can be routinely measured by a Differential Image Motion Monitor, DIMM. A new instrument,…
Ground layer turbulence is a very important site characterization parameter used to assess the quality of an astronomical site. The Lunar Scintillometer is a simple and effective site-testing device for measuring the ground layer…
Water vapour in the atmosphere is the main source of the atmospheric opacity in the infrared and sub-millimetric regimes and its value plays a critical role in observations done with instruments working at these wavelengths on ground-based…
Adaptive Optics (AO) systems have become integral for ground-based astronomy. Based on the scientific case, there are various flavours of AO systems. Measuring the turbulence strength profile ($C_N^2(h)$) and other site characteristics is…
The site survey for the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope concluded recently after more than two years of data gathering and analysis. Six locations, including lake, island and continental sites, were thoroughly probed for image quality…
One of the key science goals for a diffraction limited imager on an Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is the resolution of individual stars down to faint limits in distant galaxies. The aim of this study is to test the proposed capabilities…
This paper presents ground-based data obtained from deep optical and infrared observations carried out at the ESO 3.5 New Technology Telescope (NTT) of a field selected for its low HI content for deep observations with AXAF. These data were…