GRAVITY+ adaptive optics (GPAO) tests in Europe
astro-ph.IM
/ Authors
Florentin Millour, Guillaume Bourdarot, Jean-Baptiste Le Bouquin, Anthony Berdeu, Mathis Houllé, Philippe Berio, Thibaut Paumard, Denis Defrère, Paulo Garcia, Ferreol Soulez
and 47 more authors
Sebastian Hoenig, Fatmé Allouche, Martin Bachbucher, Christophe Bailet, Cyrille Blanchard, Olivier Boebion, Henri Bonnet, Amit Brara, Marcel Carbillet, Stephan Czempiel, Alain Delboulbé, Roderick Dembet, Clémence Edouard, Frank Eisenhauer, Halmut Feuchtgruber, Christoph Furchstsam, Stefan Gillessen, Armin Goldbrunner, Tiago Gomes, Carole Gouvret, Sylvain Guieu, Michael Hartl
/ Abstract
We present in this proceeding the results of the test phase of the GRAVITY+ adaptive optics. This extreme AO will enable both high-dynamic range observations of faint companions (including exoplanets) thanks to a 40x40 sub-apertures wavefront control, and sensitive observations (including AGNs) thanks to the addition of a laser guide star to each UT of the VLT. This leap forward is made thanks to a mostly automated setup of the AO, including calibration of the NCPAs, that we tested in Europe on the UT+atmosphere simulator we built in Nice. We managed to reproduce in laboratory the expected performances of all the modes of the AO, including under non-optimal atmospheric or telescope alignment conditions, giving us the green light to proceed with the Assembly, Integration and Verification phase in Paranal.