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Implementation of the Chicago sum frequency laser at Palomar laser guide star test bed

Velur, Viswa and Kibblewhite, Edward and Dekany, Richard and Troy, Mitchell and Petrie, Hal and Thicksten, Robert and Brack, Gary and Trinh, Thang and Cheselka, Matthew (2004) Implementation of the Chicago sum frequency laser at Palomar laser guide star test bed. In: Advancements in Adaptive Optics. Proceedings of SPIE. No.5490. Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) , Bellingham, WA, pp. 1033-1040. ISBN 9780819454225. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20190118-125400754

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Abstract

Work is underway at the University of Chicago and Caltech Optical Observatories to implement a sodium laser guide star adaptive optics system for the 200 inch Hale telescope at Palomar Observatory. The Chicago sum frequency laser (CSFL) consists of two pulsed, diode-pumped, mode-locked Nd:YAG lasers working at 1.064 micron and 1.32 micron wavelengths. Light from the two laser beams is mixed in a non-linear crystal to produce radiation centered at 589 nm with a spectral width of 1.0 GHz (FWHM) to match that of the Sodium-D2 line. Currently the 1.064 micron and 1.32 micron lasers produce 14 watts and 8 watts of TEM-00 power respectively. The laser runs at 500 Hz rep. rate with 10% duty cycle. This pulse format is similar to that of the MIT-Lincoln labs and allows range gating of unwanted Rayleigh scatter down an angle of 60 degrees to zenith angle. The laser system will be kept in the Coude lab and will be projected up to a laser launch telescope (LLT) bore-sited to the Hale telescope. The beam-transfer optics, which conveys the laser beam from the Coude lab to the LLT, consists of motorized mirrors that are controlled in real time using quad-cell positioning systems. This needs to be done to prevent laser beam wander due to deflections of the telescope while tracking. There is a central computer that monitors the laser beam propagation up to the LLT, the interlocks and safety system status, laser status and actively controls the motorized mirrors. We plan to install a wide-field visible camera (for high flying aircraft) and a narrow field of view (FoV) IR camera (for low-flying aircraft) as part of our aircraft avoidance system.


Item Type:Book Section
Related URLs:
URLURL TypeDescription
https://doi.org/10.1117/12.550675DOIArticle
Additional Information:© 2004 Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). This work was supported by the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project and the Center for Adaptive Optics (CfAO). We express our thanks to the engineers and technicians at Palomar, Caltech and Fermi Institute for helping out at various stages of the project and providing useful insights. The authors also thank Corrine Boyer at Gemini Observatory for useful inputs on AAS system design. The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) Project is a partnership of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy (ACURA), the California Institute of Technology and the University of California. The partners gratefully acknowledge the support of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the US National Science Foundation, the National Research Council of Canada, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Gemini Partnership. The Center for Adaptive Optics (CfAO) is a Science and Technology Center (STC) funded by the National Science Foundation.
Group:Thirty Meter Telescope
Funders:
Funding AgencyGrant Number
Thirty Meter Telescope ProjectUNSPECIFIED
Center for Adaptive Optics (CfAO)UNSPECIFIED
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)UNSPECIFIED
Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy (ACURA)UNSPECIFIED
CaltechUNSPECIFIED
University of CaliforniaUNSPECIFIED
Gordon and Betty Moore FoundationUNSPECIFIED
NSFUNSPECIFIED
National Research Council of CanadaUNSPECIFIED
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)UNSPECIFIED
Gemini PartnershipUNSPECIFIED
Science and Technology Center (STC)UNSPECIFIED
Subject Keywords:Guide star laser, adaptive optics, large telescope design
Series Name:Proceedings of SPIE
Issue or Number:5490
DOI:10.1117/12.550675
Record Number:CaltechAUTHORS:20190118-125400754
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20190118-125400754
Official Citation:Viswa Velur, Edward Joseph Kibblewhite, Richard G. Dekany, Mitchell Troy, Hal L. Petrie, Robert P. Thicksten, Gary Brack, Thang Trin, Matthew Cheselka, "Implementation of the Chicago sum frequency laser at Palomar laser guide star test bed," Proc. SPIE 5490, Advancements in Adaptive Optics, (25 October 2004); doi: 10.1117/12.550675
Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:92374
Collection:CaltechAUTHORS
Deposited By: Tony Diaz
Deposited On:21 Jan 2019 23:32
Last Modified:16 Nov 2021 03:49

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