The Adaptive Optics Revolution: A History
Robert W. Duffner
Language: English
Pages: 485
ISBN: 082634691X
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Adaptive optics is the most revolutionary breakthrough in astronomy since Galileo pointed his telescope skyward four hundred years ago. It is critical technology that will enable astronomers to answer challenging questions about the universe.
Over the last four decades, a formidable and persistent team of scientists from the Air Force Research Laboratory, MIT/Lincoln Laboratory, and private contractors led the way in achieving groundbreaking advances in adaptive optics. They demonstrated laser guide star techniques and made adaptive optics practical on large telescopes. The military aggressively pursued the development of adaptive optics for two reasons--imaging for space situational awareness and laser weapons. A significant part of this research occurred at the Starfire Optical Range in New Mexico and the Maui optical site in Hawaii. The program remained classified during the 1970s and 1980s, but the government declassified it in the early 1990s, enabling significant technology transfer to the astronomy community.
Robert Duffner has compiled a unique history of the invention of laser guide stars and other contributions to adaptive optics made by the Department of Defense. He had access to a large collection of primary source material housed in the offices of government scientists and in the Research Laboratory's archives at Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque. Duffner also interviewed seventy-one prominent scientists who played key roles advancing adaptive optics research.
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adjustments to the first RTAC breadboard at Itek in December 1973. Characterizing the work as a major breakthrough, he added, “This was the first test of an adaptive optical system using a wavefront sensor, reconstructor, and deformable mirror, similar to those in standard use today.” With the success of RTAC, Hardy was optimistic about the future, believing that advanced adaptive optics systems using large telescopes eventually could obtain compensated images of satellites.8 Don Hanson, who
quality image of the satellite. This work represented another significant turning point; the Rome/Itek team had succeeded in gathering the first images of space objects observed by a phase-compensated telescope. The images proved to scientists that the theory of compensated imaging could be packaged into an electro-optical Rome and Itek 57 hardware system that, when combined with an operational telescope, could take the distortions out of light waves.39 Although imaging of the first satellite
his daughter, Elizabeth, he almost seemed like a mystery guest.11 Fugate has managed to effectively organize and direct a diverse team of scientists and technicians, which started out as a team of three and grew to a 100-person operation involving government civilians and military and contractor personnel. One of his professional strengths has been his consistent ability to attract competent scientists and engineers, get them focused on a project, and keep them there. Besides working well with
Eberhart, former commander of Air Force Space Command; and former Secretary of the Air Force James G. Roche. All concurred that adaptive optics was a revolutionary enabling technology destined to have a positive effect on Air Force missions of today and tomorrow. Also, G. Wayne Van Citters from the National Science xvi | Foundation put into perspective how military work on adaptive optics was relevant to astronomers. I would be remiss not to mention the major contractors that made enduring
Polaris. Because of the classified nature of laser guide star work in the 1980s, this was the only photo taken during the experiment. over several months to sample a wide range of atmospheric conditions. The more data were collected over a long period, the more reliable the measurements would be. The goal was to develop a comprehensive database that would demonstrate the similarities in the degree of distortions in starlight and laser light traveling along the same path through the atmosphere.9
