The Gemini Planet Imager's Adaptive Optics system: from design to operation

Dr. Lisa A. Poyneer
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

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The Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) is a hyperspectral coronagraph that
will be used to directly image extrasolar planets.  To enable this
kind of high contrast imaging, GPI's Adaptive Optics (AO) system is an
order of magnitude more complex and powerful than existing
general-purpose astronomical systems. We discuss the key new
technologies featured in the AO system including: a four thousand
actuator MEMS deformable mirror, efficient and adaptive wavefront
reconstruction and control with use of the discrete Fourier transform,
and the spatially filtered wavefront sensor.  We then cover several
major tasks from the past year's AO build and integration phases:
dealing with dead actuators, ensuring system stability with the
spatial filter at nominal size, and verifying the performance of the
optimized-gain adaptive controller. LLNL-ABS-490386