Estimation of the dome seeing from results of the optics quality tests with Shack-Hartman wavefront sensor

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that Shack-Hartman wavefront sensors can be used to estimate dome seeing conditions by analyzing wavefront distortions caused by air streams in telescope domes, providing a practical method for site assessment.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of Shack-Hartman wavefront sensors for estimating dome seeing properties during telescope testing, extending their use beyond optical quality measurement.

Findings

Estimated dome seeing values: 0.34" for AZT-22, 0.67" for Zeiss-1000, 0.69" for ZTSh.

Wavefront sensors can infer air stream properties inside telescope domes.

Method applied successfully across different telescope sizes and locations.

Abstract

The Shack-Hartman wavefront sensor designed for final acceptance of 2.5m SAI telescope allows to measure the shape of the wavefront on exit pupil of the telescope using a bright star. The reference laser source on wavelength 532 nm is used for measurements. During testing the device at different telescopes it was found out what it's probable to estimate some properties of air streams in the dome. Such estimations have been made for three domes: 1.5 m AZT-22 and 1.0 m Zeiss telescope of Maidanak Observatory, Uzbekistan and for 2.6 m telescope ZTSh of Crimean observatory, Ukraine. The following results were obtained for the slowest streams in domes: {\beta}=0.34" for AZT-22, {\beta}=0.67" for Zeiss-1000, and {\beta}=0.69" for ZTSh.