GNAO AOB Passed the Preliminary Design Review

The Gemini North telescope supports research across many areas of modern astronomy, including the Solar System, exoplanets, star formation, galaxy evolution, supermassive black holes, and the large-scale structure of the Universe. As a ground-based facility, the telescope utilizes adaptive optics technology to compensate for the blurring effects of Earth’s atmosphere.

The Gemini North Adaptive Optics (GNAO) facility is a new, state-of-the-art Adaptive Optics system, which will replace ALTAIR. GNAO will make Gemini North the premier site for high-resolution astronomy for the International Gemini partnership, including the U.S. community. The instrument will operate in the nightly queue and will work in tandem with the upcoming Gemini Infrared Multi-Object Spectrograph (GIRMOS) to achieve precise and high-performance spectroscopy and imaging science. First light of the GNAO facility is anticipated for the end of 2028.

GNAO will correct the incoming light using four main sub-components: a real-time control system, a facility system controller, a laser guide star facility projecting four artificial guide stars in the sky, and an Adaptive Optics Bench (AOB).

In 2023 a competitive Conceptual Design stage was conducted for the AOB sub-component of GNAO. After the AOB’s Conceptual Design review was passed in June 2023, Gemini downselected from three teams to one and the Macquarie University's Australian Astronomical Optics (AAO) consortium was selected to continue toward the final design, build and installation at the telescope, executing the work under a cost-reimbursement contract.

The AAO consortium brings broad expertise in adaptive optics and developing astronomical instrumentation for ground-based telescopes to the GNAO project, and is composed of members highly motivated and excited by both the technical challenges and scientific outcome. The partnership members are Macquarie University, the Advanced Instrumentation and Technology Centre (AITC) of the Australian National University, the French Aerospace Laboratory (Office National d'Etudes et de Recherches Aérospatiales, or ONERA), Marseille Astrophysics Laboratory (Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille, or LAM), the Observatoire de Haute Provence (OHP) and French specialist optical manufacturer ALPAO. The partnership also includes the consulting firms Space ODT (Portugal), Mersenne Optical Consulting (New Zealand), and Wakea Consulting (France).

Over the past 12 months the AAO consortium has continued developing the design of AOB sub-component to complete the Preliminary Design stage. The work culminated in the Preliminary Design Review, held at Gemini North in Hilo, Hawai‘i on 30–31 October 2024. 

A review committee of nine members was assembled and came to Hilo to participate in the review. The AAO consortium also traveled to Hilo with 17 of its members to present the proposed preliminary design. 

The Preliminary Design Review was successfully passed and the AAO consortium will be working on the final design of the AOB over the next year. The Critical (final) Design stage is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2025.

The GNAO AOB is funded by the National Science Foundation under AST Nos. 1546092 and 1839225.