SAMplus: adaptive optics at optical wavelengths for SOAR

TL;DR

SAMplus is an upgrade to the SOAR Adaptive Module that enhances its visible wavelength performance and reliability, enabling higher resolution imaging and maintaining SOAR's status as a leading observatory facility.

Contribution

This paper presents the SAMplus upgrade, improving AO performance at visible wavelengths and increasing instrument reliability for the SOAR telescope.

Findings

Expected FWHM of 0.34 arcsec with SAMplus under typical conditions

Potential to achieve 0.23 arcsec FWHM in good seeing

Enhanced AO capabilities will be integrated with latest instruments

Abstract

Adaptive Optics (AO) is an innovative technique that substantially improves the optical performance of ground-based telescopes. The SOAR Adaptive Module (SAM) is a laser-assisted AO instrument, designed to compensate ground-layer atmospheric turbulence in near-IR and visible wavelengths over a large Field of View. Here we detail our proposal to upgrade SAM, dubbed SAMplus, that is focused on enhancing its performance in visible wavelengths and increasing the instrument reliability. As an illustration, for a seeing of 0.62 arcsec at 500 nm and a typical turbulence profile, current SAM improves the PSF FWHM to 0.40 arcsec, and with the upgrade we expect to deliver images with a FWHM of $\approx0.34$ arcsec -- up to 0.23 arcsec FWHM PSF under good seeing conditions. Such capabilities will be fully integrated with the latest SAM instruments, putting SOAR in an unique position as observatory facility.