Adaptive Optics Associates installs first commercial system

Adaptive Optics Associates installs first commercial system

The first commercially contracted adaptive-optics system has been installed on the joint German and Spanish 3.5-m telescope in Calar Alto, Spain, by Adaptive Optics Associates (AOA; Cambridge, MA). AOA, a subsidiary of United Technologies Hamilton Standard division (Windsor Locks, CT), was contracted by the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (Heidelberg, Germany), which operates the research observatory. The Max Planck-designed diode-pumped argon laser works with AOA`s wavefront sensor, deformable mirror, and control systems to correct for atmospheric distortions.