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Stoking the star-maker machinery

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We had the sky, up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made, or only just happened – Jim, he allowed they was made, but I allowed they happened; I judged it would have took too long to make so many – Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 1884.

Karen A. Newman

They’re making stars in Chile, Huck, and it did take a long time – about 10 years – but overnight on Jan. 21-22, there were five new stars in the Southern sky. You wouldn’t have been able to see them with your eyes, but they were there.

Forgive me for mixing my cultural references, but with apologies to Joni Mitchell and Mark Twain, their words just seem to fit. The team at the Gemini South telescope in Chile successfully propagated a 50-W laser producing five laser guide stars, as we reported at Photonics.com on Feb. 2. The new constellation will be used to sample atmospheric turbulence for the Gemini Observatory’s GeMS adaptive optics.

GeMS, for Gemini Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics System, will allow relatively wide-field imaging at extremely high resolution over an exceptionally large portion of the sky. The system is expected to provide very sharp images of similar quality to those obtained from space. For an explanation of multiconjugate adaptive optics and how it differs from adaptive optics, see the MCAO primer at the Gemini Observatory website (http://sciopsedit.gemini.edu).

Those of us who marveled at the beginnings of space exploration in the second half of the past century still gaze up at the night sky and wonder how the stars came to be. It is exciting to think that the work going on at the Gemini Observatory may bring us closer to an answer for Huck and Jim, and for all of us.

According to the Gemini South team, technical tests of the laser and the GeMS will continue throughout 2011 and are expected to be available for scientific use next year. The days ahead at Chile’s Aura Observatory are sure to be filled with exciting events that will be anticipated and celebrated, and we’ll look forward to amazing images and new knowledge about our universe in the years ahead.

Looking ahead just a little, you will find Photonics Media this month at OFC/NFOEC in Los Angeles on March 6-10; at Pittcon in Atlanta on March 13-18; and at Automate in Chicago on March 21-24. I myself will be at Automate, checking out all the latest advances in machine vision. I hope to see you there.
Gentec Electro-Optics Inc   - Measure Your Laser MR

Published: March 2011
Glossary
adaptive optics
Adaptive optics (AO) is a technology used to improve the performance of optical systems by reducing the effects of atmospheric distortions. The Earth's atmosphere can cause light passing through it to experience distortions, resulting in image blurring and degradation in various optical applications, such as astronomical observations, laser communications, and imaging systems. Adaptive optics systems actively adjust the optical elements in real-time to compensate for these distortions. Key...
atmospheric turbulence
Irregularities and disturbances in the atmosphere that are of particular interest because they induce random temporal and spatial phase and amplitude fluctuations that destroy the optical quality and the coherence properties of laser beams.
machine vision
Machine vision, also known as computer vision or computer sight, refers to the technology that enables machines, typically computers, to interpret and understand visual information from the world, much like the human visual system. It involves the development and application of algorithms and systems that allow machines to acquire, process, analyze, and make decisions based on visual data. Key aspects of machine vision include: Image acquisition: Machine vision systems use various...
adaptive opticsAdventures of Huckleberry Finnatmospheric turbulenceAura ObservatoryAutomateChileEditorialGemini Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics SystemGemini ObservatoryGemini South telescopeGeMSJoni Mitchelllaser guide starsmachine visionMark TwainMCAOmulticonjugate adaptive opticsOFC/NFOECOpticsPittconSkystarsLasers

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