Second generation solar adaptive optics for 1-m New Vacuum Solar Telescope at the Fuxian Solar Observatory

One of the most important problems of modern solar physics is the observation of the small-scale structure of the solar atmosphere at various heights (including the chromosphere and corona) in different spectral lines. Such observations can be made only with large solar telescopes whose main mirror has a diameter of at least 3 m. Currently, several large solar telescopes are under construction or development in the world. In 2013 in Russia, the work began on the development of a national large solar telescope with a mirror 3 m in diameter (LST-3), which is a part (subproject) of the National Heliogeophysical Complex of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The telescope is planned to be located in the Sayan Solar Observatory at an altitude of more than 2000 m. The choice was made in favor of the classic axisymmetric Gregory optical layout on an alt-azimuth mount. The scientific equipment of LST-3 will consist of several systems of narrow-band tunable filters and spectrographs for various wave ranges. The equipment will be placed both in the main coude focus on a rotating platform and in the Nasmyth focus. To achieve a diffraction resolution, high-order adaptive optics (AO) will be used. It is assumed that with a certain modification of the optical configuration, LST-3 will work as a 0.7 m mirror coronograph in near infrared lines and can also be used for observing astrophysical objects in the nighttime.

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Two-telescope-based solar seeing profile measurement simulation

Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics ◽

10.1088/1674-4527/21/12/298 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 21 (12) ◽

pp. 298

Author(s):

Zi-Yue Wang ◽

De-Qing Ren ◽

Raffi Saadetian

Keyword(s):

Numerical Simulations ◽

Atmospheric Turbulence ◽

Adaptive Optics ◽

Solar Observatory ◽

Performance Estimation ◽

Image Motion ◽

Profile Measurement ◽

Solar Telescope ◽

National Solar Observatory ◽

Bear Lake

Abstract Measurements of the daytime seeing profile of the atmospheric turbulence are crucial for evaluating a solar astronomical site so that research on the profile of the atmospheric turbulence as a function of altitude C n 2 ( h n ) becomes more and more critical for performance estimation and optimization of future adaptive optics (AO) including the multi-conjugate adaptive optics (MCAO) systems. Recently, the S-DIMM+ method has been successfully used to measure daytime turbulence profiles above the New Solar Telescope (NST) on Big Bear Lake. However, such techniques are limited by the requirement of using a large solar telescope which is not realistic for a new potential astronomical site. Meanwhile, the A-MASP (advanced multiple-aperture seeing profiler) method is more portable and has been proved that can reliably retrieve the seeing profile up to 16 km with the Dunn Solar Telescope (DST) on the National Solar Observatory (Townson, Kellerer et al.). But the turbulence of the ground layer is calculated by combining A-MASP and S-DIMM+ (Solar Differential Image Motion Monitor+) due to the limitation of the two-individual-telescopes structure. To solve these problems, we introduce the two-telescope seeing profiler (TTSP) which consists of two portable individual telescopes. Numerical simulations have been conducted to evaluate the performance of TTSP. We find our TTSP can effectively retrieve seeing profiles of four turbulence layers with a relative error of less than 4% and is dependable for actual seeing measurement.

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An updated 37-element low-order solar adaptive optics system for 1-m new vacuum solar telescope at Full-Shine Lake Solar Observatory

10.1117/12.924338 ◽

2012 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Changhui Rao ◽

Lei Zhu ◽

Naiting Gu ◽

Xuejun Rao ◽

Lanqiang Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Adaptive Optics ◽

Solar Observatory ◽

Solar Telescope ◽

Adaptive Optics System ◽

Low Order

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ASTROCLIMATIC STATISTICS AT THE SAYAN SOLAR OBSERVATORY

Solnechno-Zemnaya Fizika ◽

10.12737/szf-61202012 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 126-133

Author(s):

Artem Shikhovtsev ◽

Pavel Kovadlo ◽

Aleksandr Kiselev

Keyword(s):

Adaptive Optics ◽

Solar Observatory ◽

Line Of Sight ◽

Solar Telescope ◽

Vertical Profiles ◽

Minimum Level ◽

Optical Turbulence ◽

Low Intensity ◽

Spatial Features ◽

Adaptive Optics System

The paper analyzes meteorological and optical characteristics of the atmosphere at the Sayan Solar Observatory (SSO) and the future 3 m Large Solar Telescope (LST-3). We examine spatial features of changes in astroclimatic characteristics for the Sayan Solar Observatory and Baikal Astrophysical Observatory (BAO). We have obtained a vertical profile of the structural characteristic of air refractive index fluctuations for a low intensity optical turbulence along the line of sight. This profile is an important result because it will allow us to adjust the adaptive optics system of LST-3 to the best astroclimatic conditions when the correction efficiency is maximal. In order to analyze vertical profiles of optical turbulence characteristics and to assess the contribution of individual atmospheric layers to the isoplanatic angle for a minimum level of total turbulence, we give recommendations for the design of multi-conjugated adaptive optics in general and for LST-3 in particular.

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First generation solar adaptive optics system for 1-m New Vacuum Solar Telescope at Fuxian Solar Observatory

Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics ◽

10.1088/1674-4527/16/2/023 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 003 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Chang-Hui Rao ◽

Lei Zhu ◽

Xue-Jun Rao ◽

Lan-Qiang Zhang ◽

Hua Bao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Adaptive Optics ◽

First Generation ◽

Solar Observatory ◽

Solar Telescope ◽

Adaptive Optics System

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INSTRUMENT DESCRIPTION AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A HIGH-ORDER ADAPTIVE OPTICS SYSTEM FOR THE 1 m NEW VACUUM SOLAR TELESCOPE AT FUXIAN SOLAR OBSERVATORY

The Astrophysical Journal ◽

10.3847/1538-4357/833/2/210 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 833 (2) ◽

pp. 210 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Changhui Rao ◽

Lei Zhu ◽

Xuejun Rao ◽

Lanqiang Zhang ◽

Hua Bao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Performance Evaluation ◽

Adaptive Optics ◽

Solar Observatory ◽

High Order ◽

Solar Telescope ◽

And Performance ◽

Adaptive Optics System

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Project of the Large Solar Telescope with mirror 3 m in diameter

Solnechno-Zemnaya Fizika ◽

10.12737/szf-62202002 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 19-36

Author(s):

Victor Grigoryev ◽

Mikhail Demidov ◽

Dmitriy Kolobov ◽

Vasiliy Pulyaev ◽

Valery Skomorovsky ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Adaptive Optics ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Solar Physics ◽

Solar Observatory ◽

Spectral Lines ◽

Small Scale ◽

Solar Telescope ◽

Rotating Platform ◽

Solar Telescopes ◽

Under Construction

One of the most important problems of modern solar physics is the observation of the small-scale structure of the solar atmosphere at various heights (including the chromosphere and corona) in different spectral lines. Such observations can be made only with large solar telescopes whose main mirror has a diameter of at least 3 m. Currently, several large solar telescopes are under construction or development in the world. In 2013 in Russia, the work began on the development of a national large solar telescope with a mirror 3 m in diameter (LST-3), which is a part (subproject) of the National Heliogeophysical Complex of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The telescope is planned to be located in the Sayan Solar Observatory at an altitude of more than 2000 m. The choice was made in favor of the classic axisymmetric Gregory optical layout on an alt-azimuth mount. The scientific equipment of LST-3 will consist of several systems of narrow-band tunable filters and spectrographs for various wave ranges. The equipment will be placed both in the main coude focus on a rotating platform and in the Nasmyth focus. To achieve a diffraction resolution, high-order adaptive optics (AO) will be used. It is assumed that with a certain modification of the optical configuration, LST-3 will work as a 0.7 m mirror coronograph in near infrared lines and can also be used for observing astrophysical objects in the nighttime.

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