MORFEO is a post-focal adaptive optics module that forms part of the first light instrument suite for the Extreme Large Telescope (ELT). The project is now in the Final Design Phase. In this paper, we report the status of the project.
The sheer size of the ELT, makes almost every aspect of the design of its instrumentation particularly challenging. Instrument size typically increases with telescope size, together with the need to have a larger number of wavefront sensors in advanced MCAO systems. To calibrate novel AO modules with multiple WFSs, complex opto-mechanical subsystems are needed to project on the telescope focal plane a large number of high-quality artificial light sources at different wavelengths, both LGS and NGS. These calibration units play a crucial role not only during operations, but also during the Assembly, Integration, Test and Verification phase. Moreover, the increasing size, technical complexity and costs require to develop new design solutions that make use of custom devices and photonic technologies. This work will focus on the design of the MORFEO-CU, a prime example of calibration unit for MCAO systems in the ELT era.
The AZT24 is a 1.1m telescope installed at the Campo Imperatore observing station, in Central Italy, at an elevation of 2200 m a.s.l. Since the 2nd half of 1990s, its focal plane has been equipped with SWIRCAM, a 1-2.5 micron camera based on an LN2-cooled, HgCdTe detector, able to exploit the excellent observing conditions offered by the site, especially at those wavelengths. After almost 30 years of operation, this system will now be upgraded with a new IR imager, based on an InGaAs detector, TEC-cooled at around -80 °C. Even with a reduced spectral coverage, the NIR imager will cover a wider field-of-view and will benefit from the seeing-enhancement capability produced by a devoted Tip-Tilt (TT) corrector. The overall project is presented in this paper, with emphasis on a commercial InGaAs detector for astronomical applications. The opto-mechanical layout is optimized to reduce the instrumental thermal background, while the TT-correction system produces a significant narrowing of the PSF, increasing the signal-to-noise ratio of the detected sources. Simulations of the expected performances are reported: they show that the upgraded system is suitable for a number of science cases, ranging from extragalactic Astronomy to stellar Astrophysics and Solar System studies. In addition, it represents an interesting testbench for some technological investigations, both in the field of Adaptive Optics and in that of data acquisition and processing techniques.
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