STRATA: system for turbulence reduction using adaptive optics for transformational astronomy

Abstract

Adaptive optics (AO) that are integrated into the telescope optics provide greater transmission, lower emissivity, higher contrast, and greater sky coverage, compared to post-focal-plane AO systems. They also enable a broader range of correction capabilities, including ground-layer correction and more straightforward multiconjugate correction. Based on a new adaptive secondary mirror planned for the Keck I facility, we are developing a comprehensive system to support image quality enhancement for the full suite of instruments on the Keck I telescope. This paper describes the scientific motivation, requirements development, and subsystems for the integrated adaptive optics system. The facility is expected to 1) improve image quality for the wide-field Cassegrain multi-object spectrometers, LRIS-2 and MOSFIRE, 2) provide improved performance and higher throughput for the diffraction-limited instruments OSIRIS and Liger, 3) provide improved performance for a planned wide wavelength imager and spectrometer- Zshooter, and improve image stability and throughput for the Keck Planet Finder. The facility is planned to support a range of future uses of the observatory, including multiconjugate and high-contrast AO capabilities.