A Status Report on the Thirty Meter Telescope Adaptive Optics Program

We provide an update on the recent development of the adaptive optics (AO) systems for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) since mid-2011. The first light AO facility for TMT consists of the Narrow Field Infra-Red AO System (NFIRAOS) and the associated Laser Guide Star Facility (LGSF). This order 60 × 60 laser guide star (LGS) multi-conjugate AO (MCAO) architecture will provide uniform, diffraction-limited performance in the J, H and K bands over 17–30 arcsec diameter fields with 50 per cent sky coverage at the galactic pole, as is required to support TMT science cases. The NFIRAOS and LGSF subsystems completed successful preliminary and conceptual design reviews, respectively, in the latter part of 2011. We also report on progress in AO component prototyping, control algorithm development, and system performance analysis, and conclude with an outline of some possible future AO systems for TMT.     

1 m红外太阳望远镜狭缝扫描控制系统的分析

1m红外太阳望远镜是地平式望远镜,其工作视场是3'×3'.为了得到像斑的二维光谱,需要做狭缝扫描.本文介绍了狭缝扫描控制系统的整体结构,根据望远镜的光路系统进行数学分析,说明了狭缝扫描控制系统的可行性,并指出了一些参数对系统的影响.     

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT): An International Observatory

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) will be the first truly global ground-based optical/infrared observatory. It will initiate the era of extremely large (30-meter class) telescopes with diffraction limited performance from its vantage point in the northern hemisphere on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA. The astronomy communities of India, Canada, China, Japan and the USA are shaping its science goals, suite of instrumentation and the system design of the TMT observatory. With large and open Nasmyth-focus platforms for generations of science instruments, TMT will have the versatility and flexibility for its envisioned 50 years of forefront astronomy. The TMT design employs the filled-aperture finely-segmented primary mirror technology pioneered with the W.M. Keck 10-meter telescopes. With TMT’s 492 segments optically phased, and by employing laser guide star assisted multi-conjugate adaptive optics, TMT will achieve the full diffraction limited performance of its 30-meter aperture, enabling unprecedented wide field imaging and multi-object spectroscopy. The TMT project is a global effort of its partners with all partners contributing to the design, technology development, construction and scientific use of the observatory. TMT will extend astronomy with extremely large telescopes to all of its global communities.     

Fast Imaging Solar Spectrograph of the 1.6 Meter New Solar Telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory

For high resolution spectral observations of the Sun – particularly its chromosphere, we have developed a dual-band echelle spectrograph named Fast Imaging Solar Spectrograph (FISS), and installed it in a vertical optical table in the Coudé Lab of the 1.6 meter New Solar Telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory. This instrument can cover any part of the visible and near-infrared spectrum, but it usually records the Hα band and the Ca ii 8542 Å band simultaneously using two CCD cameras, producing data well suited for the study of the structure and dynamics of the chromosphere and filaments/prominences. The instrument does imaging of high quality using a fast scan of the slit across the field of view with the aid of adaptive optics. We describe its design, specifics, and performance as well as data processing     

A Road Map for the Generation of a Near-Infrared Guide Star Catalog for Thirty Meter Telescope Observations

The near-infrared instruments in the upcoming Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) will be assisted by a multi conjugate Adaptive Optics (AO) system. For the efficient operation of the AO system, during observations, a near-infrared guide star catalog which goes as faint as 22 mag in J_Vega band is essential and such a catalog does not exist. A methodology, based on stellar atmospheric models, to compute the expected near-infrared magnitudes of stellar sources from their optical magnitudes is developed. The method is applied and validated in JHKs bands for a magnitude range of J_Vega 16–22 mag. The methodology is also applied and validated using the reference catalog of PAN STARRS. We verified that the properties of the final PAN STARRS optical catalog will satisfy the requirements of TMT IRGSC and will be one of the potential sources for the generation of the final catalog. In a broader context, this methodology is applicable for the generation of a guide star catalog for any existing/upcoming near-infrared telescopes.     

太阳随动圆顶的一种实现

介绍了太阳随动圆顶的基本原理和一套太阳圆顶随动系统的具体实现及其关键技术 ,可资将来国内建造太阳随动圆顶参考。     

Presentation on the Electronic Control System of Space Solar Telescope

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1m望远镜计算机网络及软件系统

１ｍ望远镜安装ＰＩＴＥＫ１０２４ＣＣＤ后，前台计算机采用ＰＣ计算机，后台使用ＳＵＮ工作站。本文介绍了微机和工作站之间的网络连接方式及在网络上使用的软件系统。通过这一网络系统可以使观测数据按ＦＩＴＳ格式方便的转移到ＳＵＮ工作站上，并转储到１５０Ｍ数据流磁带机上     

Advanced Technology Solar Telescope

High-resolution studies of the Sun’s magnetic fields are needed for a better understanding of the fundamental processes responsible for solar variability. The generation of magnetic fields through dynamo processes, the amplification of fields through the interaction with plasma flows, and the destruction of fields are poorly understood. There is incomplete insight into physical mechanisms responsible for chromospheric and coronal structure and heating, causes of variations in the radiative output of the Sun, and mechanisms that trigger flares and coronal mass ejections. Progress in answering these critical questions requires study of the interaction of the magnetic field and convection with a resolution sufficient to observe scale fundamental to these processes. The planned 4 m aperture ATST will be a unique scientific tool, with excellent angular resolution, a large wavelength range, and low scattered light. With its integrated adaptive optics, the ATST will achieve a spatial resolution nearly 10 times better than any existing solar telescope. The ATST design and development phase began in 2001 and it is now ready to begin construction in 2009.     

EAST-Educational Adaptive-optics Solar Telescope

For the public having a better understanding of solar activities, the Educational Adaptive-optics Solar Telescope(EAST) was built in July 2021 and is located at the Shanghai Astronomy Museum. The EAST consists of a 65 cm aperture solar telescope with a 177-element adaptive optics system and two-channel high resolution imaging system at the Hα and TiO bands, in addition to three full disk solar telescopes at CaK, Hα and TiO bands equipped on the tube of the main telescope. In this paper, the conf...     

空间太阳望远镜高速数据传输系统

“空间太阳望远镜”是中国的一项非常重要的天文卫星计划。卫星上将搭载 5个有效载荷 ,在可见光、远紫外、硬X射线、软X射线、Hα和射电波段同时观测太阳 ,其中的主光学望远镜口径达 1m。各有效载荷的CCD器件和其它敏感器件每天采集的科学数据量经过预处理后达 50Gbytes,再由数据压缩系统压缩至 8Gbytes,并储存在海量存储器中。如此庞大的数据量要求空间太阳望远镜的科学数据传输系统以高达 60Mbps的码速率向地面站传送。本文所有的工作均围绕着空间太阳望远镜高速数据传输系统展开 :1 .根据空间太阳望远镜的需求 ,综合研究、分析了它的科学数据传输系统的性能指标和特点 ,并作总体的方案设计 ;2 .设计开发了科学数据传输系统的信道编码和信道解码单元。信道编码单元将把海量存储器中的数据转换为适于QPSK射频调制格式化的串行数据流 ,信道解码单元实现相反的过程 ,文中详细给出了信道编码系统的原理、方法和实验结果。设计中引入了新的设计思想和方法 ,通信协议与现有地面站兼容 ;3 .完成了信道编码、解码环路的地面试验 ,结果表明信道编码、解码系统的技术指标完全符合空间太阳望远镜的要求。在理想无噪声条件下 ,闭环试验数据传输结果无误码 ,数据传输率达 60Mbps,是目前国内科学数据传输系统码速率     

Spectral Monitoring of AGN at the 6 Meter Telescope

Spectral monitoring of NGC 3516, NGC 4151, NGC 5548 and NGC 7469 has been carried out in 1986-1996 on time scales of days-months-years. In 1986-1995, the observations were made on the SAO 6-m telescope using a TV scanner with SNR about 20 in the range 4000-5200 Å (about 500 spectra). In 1996, virtually all spectra were obtained using a CCD camera with 2D and 3D spectrographs in the range 4000-7000 Å with SNR 50-100 (270 spectra). The Seyfert galaxies NGC 7469, NGC 5548, and 3C390.3 were observed in the international "AGN Watch" program by about 40 observatories around the world at optical wavelengths and by the IUE and HST in the UV. Our observations in this program demonstrated that there are no significant radial motions inside the broad line regions in NGC 4151, 3C390.3 and, possibly, in NGC 5548; that the BLR dimensions are about half those previously assumed; and that there is stratification of the BLR. The SAO 6-m observations suggest the existence of narrow satellites of the H lines during the low state of NGC 4151 in 1986-1987; new data on the narrow line region indicates the existence of an intermediate-velocity OIII component (about 2000 km/s).     

Near-Infrared Solar Electric Field Telescope

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太阳光谱望远镜的Stokes光谱测量

中国科学院云南天文台"太阳Stokes光谱观测与理论研究”团组自进入国家天文观测中心以来,经过一年多的努力,对50cm太阳光谱望远镜原偏振测量部分进行了彻底改造,由原来的D.C.调制改为A.C.调制,且增加了偏振测量校正系统.其机械,电控设计和加工于2000年2月完成,3月完成了光学调试,4月上旬完成了偏振解调和图像处理的软件编制.自2000年4月下旬以来,对23周峰年出现的部分活动区进行了较为成功的斯托克斯光谱测量,其偏振测量精度可达2×10-3,已接近国际水平,为该团组开展的课题研究打下了良好的基础.以此望远镜与怀柔观测基地太阳磁场望远镜相配合,将使我国太阳矢量磁场和速度场的研究更上一个台阶.给出了偏振测量的具体方法和部分测量结果.尽管取得了以上的成绩,但在近期内将对该偏振测量方式作进一步改进,用双光束分析代替单光束分析,使偏振测量精度提高到5×10-4,从而使之不仅能在活动区而且也能在宁静区得到矢量磁场的信息,不仅如此,还可对太阳第二光谱进行测量,提高我们依托该望远镜进行研究的广度和深度.     

Image Stabilization System for Hinode (Solar-B) Solar Optical Telescope

The Hinode Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) is the first space-borne visible-light telescope that enables us to observe magnetic-field dynamics in the solar lower atmosphere with 0.2 – 0.3 arcsec spatial resolution under extremely stable (seeing-free) conditions. To achieve precise measurements of the polarization with diffraction-limited images, stable pointing of the telescope (<0.09 arcsec, 3σ) is required for solar images exposed on the focal plane CCD detectors. SOT has an image stabilization system that uses image displacements calculated from correlation tracking of solar granules to control a piezo-driven tip-tilt mirror. The system minimizes the motions of images for frequencies lower than 14 Hz while the satellite and telescope structural design damps microvibration in higher frequency ranges. It has been confirmed from the data taken on orbit that the remaining jitter is less than 0.03 arcsec (3σ) on the Sun. This excellent performance makes a major contribution to successful precise polarimetric measurements with 0.2 – 0.3 arcsec resolution. K. Kobayashi now at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812, USA.     

Narrow-Band Imaging System for the Multi-application Solar Telescope at Udaipur Solar Observatory: Characterization of Lithium Niobate Etalons

The Multi-application Solar Telescope is a 50 cm off-axis Gregorian telescope that has been installed at the lake site of Udaipur Solar Observatory. For quasi-simultaneous photospheric and chromospheric observations, a narrow-band imager has been developed as one of the back-end instruments for this telescope. Narrow-band imaging is achieved using two lithium niobate Fabry–Perot etalons working in tandem as a filter. This filter can be tuned to different wavelengths by changing either voltage, tilt, or temperature of the etalons. To characterize the etalons, a Littrow spectrograph was set up in conjunction with a 15 cm Carl Zeiss Coudé solar telescope. The etalons were calibrated for the solar spectral lines Fe i 6173 Å, and Ca ii 8542 Å. In this work, we discuss the characterization of the Fabry–Perot etalons, specifically, the temperature and voltage tuning of the system for the spectral lines proposed for observations. We present the details of the calibration set-up and various tuning parameters. We also present solar images obtained using the system.     

European Solar Telescope: Progress status

In this paper, the present status of the development of the design of the European Solar Telescope is described. The telescope is devised to have the best possible angular resolution and polarimetric performance, maximizing the throughput of the whole system. To that aim, adaptive optics and multi‐conjugate adaptive optics are integrated in the optical path. The system will have the possibility to correct for the diurnal variation of the distance to the turbulence layers, by using several deformable mirrors, conjugated at different heights. The present optical design of the telescope distributes the optical elements along the optical path in such a way that the instrumental polarization induced by the telescope is minimized and independent of the solar elevation and azimuth. This property represents a large advantage for polarimetric measurements. The ensemble of instruments that are planned is also presented (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Solar Magnetism and the Activity Telescope at HSOS

A new solar telescope system is described, which has been operating at Huairou Solar Observing Station (HSOS), National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), since the end of 2005. This instrument, the Solar Magnetism and Activity Telescope (SMAT), comprises two telescopes which respectively make measurements of full solar disk vector magnetic field and Hα observation. The core of the full solar disk video vector magnetograph is a birefringent filter with 0.1  bandpass, installed in the tele-centric optical system of the telescope. We present some preliminary observational results of the full solar disk vector magnetograms and Hα filtergrams obtained with this telescope system.     

Design and development of the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope

Led by the National Solar Observatory, plans have been made to design and to develop the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST). The ATST will be a 4‐m general‐purpose solar telescope equipped with adaptive optics and versatile post‐focus instrumentation. Its main aim will be to achieve an angular resolution of 0.03 arcsec (20 km on the solar surface). The project and the telescope design are briefly described.