The development of adaptive optics (AO) hardware and techniques to correct for the aberrations introduced by the Earth's atmosphere has revolutionized astronomical imaging from the ground, recently enabling images from an 8-m telescope that exceed in resolution those possible with the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope. However, telescopes as small as ~1-m aperture also benefit from AO systems, and Dr. Christoph Baranec's "Robo-AO" instrument for the Palomar 1.5-m telescope of the California Institute of Technology is a unique, robotic and automated AO system that will have the capability of observing as many as 150 targets per night, including but not limited to a) stellar and substellar companions to other stars, b) transients requiring classification, c) transiting planet candidates, d) lensed quasars, and e) very low mass stars. Robo-AO is a collaboration between the California Institute of Technology and the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Pune, India, and initial construction was funded, in part, by a National Science Foundation award.
The current proposal plans to upgrade Robo-AO with a new near-infrared science camera that will expand the field of view to greater than arc minute diameter, greatly enhance the near-infrared sensitivity and spectral coverage to a wavelength of 2.4 microns, and increase the visible-light science sky coverage by using AO-sharpened near-infrared tip-tilt guide stars. The Robo-AO collaboration incorporates students at every level, including design, hardware and software development, and science planning. The project also makes its detailed design and construction plans, hardware selection, and software freely available and the system has been duplicated at other small telescopes around the world.
Funding for the development of robotic adaptive optics is being provided by NSF's Division of Astronomical Sciences through its Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation program.
