Sky tests of a laser-pumped sodium guidestar with and without beam compensation

Details Sky tests of a laser-pumped sodium guidestar with and without beam compensation Sky tests of a laser-pumped sodium guidestar with and without beam compensation

Oct 2004

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004spie.5490...12d&link_type=abstract

Advancements in Adaptive Optics. Edited by Domenico B. Calia, Brent L. Ellerbroek, and Roberto Ragazzoni. Proceedings of the SPI

Physics

Optics

1

Scientific paper

Three sets of sky tests have been conducted at the Starfire Optical Range with a continuous-wave, single-frequency, 20-W laser in preparation for a 50-W facility-class laser. Brightness measurements were made of the sodium guidestar produced with and without adaptive optics (AO) correction to the outgoing laser beam when it was either linearly or circularly polarized. Correcting for the transmission of our V filter at the sodium wavelength, a circularly polarized laser beam of 12 W out the telescope produced a guidestar of V=7.1 (1015 ph/s/cm2 at the top of the telescope). In general, a circularly polarized beam produces a guidestar between 75 and 100% brighter than a linearly polarized beam, indicating a significant degree of optical pumping of the sodium D2-line magnetic sublevels. However, guidestars produced with beams launched with tip-tilt correction only were 11% brighter than with beams launched with full AO correction. From deconvolved images of the guidestar taken with the 3.5-m telescope, the smallest spot, produced from a beam with 8.5 W of power out the telescope, circular polarization, and launched closed loop, had a Gaussian FWHM of 0.85 arcsec, or 38 cm at an altitude of 92 km. This corresponds to a peak Gaussian intensity of 3.8 mW/cm2.

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