Related papers: AIROPA III: Testing Simulated and On-Sky Data

Using the adaptive optics facilities at the 200-in Hale and 10-m Keck II, we observed in the near infrared a sample of 12 binary and multiple stars and one open cluster. We used the near diffraction limited images of these systems to…

From natural guide star adaptive optics data taken with the Come-On Plus and with the Starfire Optical Range Generation II instruments in the JHK bands and in the I band respectively, we describe and analyse the point spread function. The…

We present performance simulations for a proposed visible-light, multi-conjugate adaptive optics system for the 10-meter W. M. Keck I telescope that aims to deliver near diffraction-limited angular resolution at optical wavelengths. Our…

The development of the Keck All sky Precision Adaptive optics (KAPA) project was initiated in September 2018 to upgrade the Keck I adaptive optics (AO) system to enable laser tomography adaptive optics (LTAO) with a four laser guide star…

Images from adaptive optics systems are generally affected by significant distortions of the point spread function (PSF) across the field of view, depending on the position of natural and artificial guide stars. Image reduction techniques…

Access to knowledge of the point spread function (PSF) of adaptive optics(AO)-assisted observations is still a major limitation when processing AO data. This limitation is particularly important when image analysis requires the use of…

Accurate astrometry and photometry of saturated and coronagraphic point spread functions (PSFs) are fundamental to both ground- and space-based high contrast imaging projects. For ground-based adaptive optics imaging, differential…

The effects of anisoplanatism on the adaptive optics point spread function are investigated. A model is derived that combines observations of the guide star with an analytic formulation of anisoplanatism to generate predictions for the…

We present the results of our study of astrometric stability of 200-in Hale (Mt. Palomar) and 10-m Keck II (Mauna Kea) telescopes, both with Adaptive Optics (AO) facilities. A group of nearby visual binaries and multiples was observed in…

Adaptive Optics observations have dramatically improved the quality and versatility of high angular resolution measurements of the center of our Galaxy. In this paper, we quantify the quality of our Adaptive Optics observations and report…

Precise knowledge of the point spread function (PSF) underpins many data analysis steps in astronomy, from photometry and astrometry to source de-blending and deconvolution. In adaptive optics (AO) observations, however, the PSF is highly…

High precision cosmology with weak gravitational lensing requires a precise measure of the Point Spread Function across the imaging data where the accuracy to which high spatial frequency variation can be modelled is limited by the stellar…

With the advent of adaptive optics on the W. M. Keck 10 m telescope, two significant steps forward have been taken in building the case for a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way and understanding the black hole's effect…

The use of laser guide stars in astronomical adaptive optics results in elongated Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor image patterns. Image correlation techniques can be used to determine local wavefront slope by correlating each sub-aperture…

More than 450 exoplanets are known and this number increases nearly every day. Only a few constraints on their orbital parameters and physical characteristics can be determined, as most exoplanets are detected indirectly. Measuring the…

Optimal error estimation is key to achieve accurate photometry and astrometry. Stellar fluxes and positions in high angular resolution images are typically measured with PSF fitting routines, such as StarFinder. However, the formal…

Large-scale astronomical surveys can capture numerous images of celestial objects, including galaxies and nebulae. Analysing and processing these images can reveal intricate internal structures of these objects, allowing researchers to…

At present, the principal limitation on the resolution and contrast of astronomical imaging instruments comes from aberrations in the optical path, which may be imposed by the Earth's turbulent atmosphere or by variations in the alignment…

We present significantly improved proper motion measurements of the Milky Way's central stellar cluster. These improvements are made possible by refining our astrometric reference frame with a new geometric optical distortion model for the…

Strong gravitational lensing is a powerful probe of the distribution of matter on sub-kpc scales. It can be used to test the existence of completely dark subhalos surrounding galaxies, as predicted by the standard cold dark matter model, or…