Seminarios de Instrumentación
Status of the Gran Telescopio Canarias Adaptive Optics (AO) Program, and the new AO Lab

Abstract

In this talk we present the status of the Gran Telescopio Canarias AO system first on-sky results, focusing on the lessons learned and the next steps to unleash its full potential. We also present the status of the Laser Guide Star System upgrade, and the first science camera for diffraction limited imaging, GRANCAIN. The installation of this kind of facilities in every major telescope prove that Adaptive Optics (AO) has reached the maturity of a well-established technique in use by a variety of instruments, from astronomy to optical communications, microscopy, vision, laser machining…. It is necessary to address the upcoming needs of the community, getting ahead doing pioneering research in AO. We present the Adaptive Optics Laboratory created at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) as part of the CELESTE (Cutting Edge Leap to Excellence in Space and Optics Technologies) initiative. The knowledge and experience acquired through the GTCAO project and the rest of the AO activities at IAC have naturally driven us to the creation of the AO group. CELESTE gives us the right frame to do so, channelling excellence and contributing to further develop this technique.