Abstract:
Beyond Earth's atmosphere lie the answers to many fundamental questions about the universe and our place in it. But even with the world's largest astronomical telescopes, those answers can be elusive. The Earth's turbulent atmosphere bends light and distorts images, a phenomenon seen in both twinkling stars at night and mirages on hot days. Adaptive Optics is a technology that fixes these distortions in real time. This allows us to see objects in space that would otherwise be unobservable, such as planets orbiting distant stars. In this talk, you will hear from engineers who design and build adaptive optics systems. We will discuss how specialized sensors measure atmospheric distortions, how advanced algorithms and computer control can predict the best corrections to apply, and how adjustable mirrors make over one thousand corrections every second to take the twinkle out of stars.
Bios:
Lisa Poyneer received an B. S. and M. Eng. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph. D. from the University of California, Davis in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. An internationallyrecognized expert in adaptive optics (AO), Lisa is a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff. She led the testing and verification of the AO system of the Gemini Planet lmager, which at its deployment in 2014 was world's most powerful astronomical AO instrument. She has since worked on AO projects in lasers, microscopy, space security and x-ray optics. Her current research centers on the design and testing of predictive control algorithms.
Aaron Lemmer received a B. S. in Applied Physics and Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin, River Falls, and a M. A. and Ph. D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering with emphases in Applied Physics and Dynamics and Control from Princeton University, where his research focused on adaptive optics instrumentation for future space-based astronomical observatories. He is a member of the Adaptive Optics Research Staff at the Laboratory where he is currently involved in multiple projects developing the next generation of adaptive optics technology for both ground-based observatories equipped with laser guide stars and future space telescope missions, like NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory.
Tom Shefler received a B. S. degree in Physics and Applied Mathematics from Western Michigan University and a M. A in Astronomy and Astrophysics from the University of California, Berkeley. While at Berkeley, he researched analyzed and cataloged Hubble Space Telescope images of galaxies, observational research involved in the detection and study of extrasolar planets, and discovered Supernova 1998DT while working with the Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope team. He currently teaches Physics and Engineering at Granada High School and is a Faculty Scholar in the LLNL Science Education program.