ao - ForOT Optical Turbulence Forecasts

CONCLUDING REMARKS
1. IMAGE RECOVERY FROM THE COMPLEX ATMOSPHERIC OPTICAL TURBULENCE
DISTORTIONS IS POSSIBLE .
2. HOWEVER DOING SO IS TECHNICALLY VERY TIME CONSUMING AND EXPENSIVE
3. FOR EXAMPLE: (i) “CLASSICAL AO” (or SCAO) PROPOSED BY BABCOCK IN 1953.
FIRST ASTRONOMICAL OPERATING SYSTEM IN 1988 (AT ESO)
4. MAJOR NEEDS NOW ARE:
(ii) “MULTICONJUGATE ADAPTIVE OPTICS (MCAO) WAS
PROPOSED IN 1988. IN ITS SIMPLEST FORM (DCAO) IT WAS
FIRST OPERATIVE IN 2004 (at NSO, Sun) & 2008 (ESO, stars).
(a) Extension of AO to shorter wavelengths
(b) Production of numerous ( ≥10 4 ) actuator, large stroke DMs as
needed for ELTs and ExAO
(c) Production of Adaptive Secondary Mirrors
(d) Development of optimum Atmospheric Tomography algorithms
(e) Construction of more powerful pulsed Sodium Lasers
(f) Removal of Perspective Elongation of Laser Guide Stars
(g) Moving from DCAO to full MCAO
(h) In Interferometric Imaging: Development of Imaging Algorithms
probably building on Radio Interferometry expertise.