Adaptive Optics for Extremely Large Telescopes 4 – Conference Proceedings

The TMT first light Adaptive Optics (AO) facility consists of the Narrow Field Infra-Red AO System (NFIRAOS) and the associated Laser Guide Star Facility (LGSF). NFIRAOS is a 60 x 60 laser guide star (LGS) multi-conjugate AO (MCAO) system, which provides uniform, diffraction-limited performance in the J, H, and K bands over 17-30 arc sec diameter fields with 50 per cent sky coverage at the galactic pole, as required to support the TMT science cases. NFIRAOS includes two deformable mirrors, six laser guide star wavefront sensors, and several low-order, infrared, natural guide star wavefront sensors within each client instrument. The first light LGSF system includes six sodium lasers required to generate the NFIRAOS laser guide stars. In this paper, we will provide an update on the progress in designing, modeling and validating the TMT first light AO systems and their components over the last two years. This will include the final design activities for NFIRAOS, preliminary design activities for the LGSF, final design and prototyping activities for the deformable mirrors, final design and fabrication for the visible detectors, preliminary design activities for the NFIRAOS visible cameras, preliminary design activities for the NFIRAOS Real Time Controller (RTC) and development and tests of prototype candidate lasers. Comprehensive and detailed AO modeling is also continuing to support the design and development of the first light AO facility.