Cryogenic 1-5 micron atmospheric dispersion corrector for astronomical adaptive optics

Roland J. Sarlot; Donald W. McCarthy Jr.

doi:10.1117/12.449571

5 December 2001 Cryogenic 1-5 micron atmospheric dispersion corrector for astronomical adaptive optics

Roland J. Sarlot, Donald W. McCarthy Jr.

Proceedings Volume 4441, Current Developments in Lens Design and Optical Engineering II; (2001) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.449571
Event: International Symposium on Optical Science and Technology, 2001, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

A cryogenic mechanism has been built to correct for the blurring effects of atmospheric dispersion in adaptive-optics images from large aperture telescopes. Steward Observatory's 6.5 m telescope features a deformable Cassegrain secondary mirror compensating for atmospheric turbulence at wavelengths from 1 - 5 microns. At 1 micron, smearing caused by atmospheric dispersion equals the diffraction-limited image width (0.04 arcseconds FWHM). In order to correct for this effect and to maintain the low thermal background provided by the adaptive secondary, we have designed and built a cryogenic (77 K) atmospheric dispersion corrector. Operating over a spectral range of 1 - 5 microns, two pairs of counter-rotating calcium/lithium-fluoride prisms provide diffraction-limited imaging over a field of 1.7 arcminutes at a zenith angle up to 45 degrees.

Citation Download Citation

Roland J. Sarlot and Donald W. McCarthy Jr. "Cryogenic 1-5 micron atmospheric dispersion corrector for astronomical adaptive optics", Proc. SPIE 4441, Current Developments in Lens Design and Optical Engineering II, (5 December 2001); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.449571

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