Gemini multi-conjugate adaptive optics system review I: Design, trade-offs and integration
astro-ph.IM
/ Authors
Francois Rigaut, Benoit Neichel, Maxime Boccas, Céline d'Orgeville, Fabrice Vidal, Marcos A. van Dam, Gustavo Arriagada, Vincent Fesquet, Ramon L. Galvez, Gaston Gausachs
and 20 more authors
Chad Cavedoni, Angelic W. Ebbers, Stan Karewicz, Eric James, Javier Lührs, Vanessa Montes, Gabriel Perez, William N. Rambold, Roberto Rojas, Shane Walker, Matthieu Bec, Gelys Trancho, Michael Sheehan, Benjamin Irarrazaval, Corinne Boyer, Brent L. Ellerbroek, Ralf Flicker, Damien Gratadour, Aurea Garcia-Rissmann, Felipe Daruich
/ Abstract
The Gemini Multi-conjugate adaptive optics System (GeMS) at the Gemini South telescope in Cerro Pach{ó}n is the first sodium-based multi-Laser Guide Star (LGS) adaptive optics system. It uses five LGSs and two deformable mirrors to measure and compensate for atmospheric distortions. The GeMS project started in 1999, and saw first light in 2011. It is now in regular operation, producing images close to the diffraction limit in the near infrared, with uniform quality over a field of view of two square arcminutes. The present paper (I) is the first one in a two-paper review of GeMS. It describes the system, explains why and how it was built, discusses the design choices and trade-offs, and presents the main issues encountered during the course of the project. Finally, we briefly present the results of the system first light.