Science with Adaptive Optics on Large Telescopes

Adaptive Optics dramatically improves the performance of telescopes. Over the past few years facility AO systems have become a reality on large telescopes. Significant and important science is being achieved now with these systems on 6 to 10 meter telescopes.

To highlight these developments, AURA has organized a "Meeting within a Meeting" to be held at the June 2009 AAS meeting in Pasadena. We have scheduled over 30 talks for 7 sessions of this MiM to be held in parallel to the 7 regular oral sessions at the meeting. The scientific results that will be presented cover nearly all areas of observational astronomy: Solar System studies, extra-solar planets, proto-planetary disks, stellar clusters and populations, galaxies, black holes, and cosmology.

A PDF file with a detailed schedule for the Science with AO Meeting within a Meeting may be viewed here.

We encourage astronomers to take advantage of the exciting opportunities that AO presents to them in pursuit of their own science. To inform the community as to what AO facilities are available to them via the open competition for US time on Gemini and through community time made available via the TSIP program on Keck and the MMT, the MiM will also have introductory talks to describe the AO capabilities available now or in the near future for users of these telescopes as well as on the VLT.

These introductory talks will be aimed at astronomers who have little or no experience or knowledge of AO systems. There will be ample time for questions and discussions following all of the talks. The first session of this MiM will begin by an overview and introduction to Adaptive Optics - what it is and what it can do for you - by Claire Max based on her very popular AO lectures at UC Santa Cruz.

We hope you will be able to join us!