MagAO-X: project status and first laboratory results

TL;DR

MagAO-X is a new extreme adaptive optics system designed for the Magellan telescope, aiming to enable high-contrast imaging of protoplanets at H-alpha with advanced performance metrics.

Contribution

This paper provides an overview of MagAO-X's design, current status, and initial laboratory results, highlighting its capabilities for high-contrast astronomical imaging.

Findings

System design overview and current status update

Achieved high Strehl ratios (>70%) in laboratory tests

Demonstrated high resolution (19 mas) and contrast ($< 10^{-4}$) at H-alpha

Abstract

MagAO-X is an entirely new "extreme" adaptive optics system for the Magellan Clay 6.5 m telescope, funded by the NSF MRI program starting in Sep 2016. The key science goal of MagAO-X is high-contrast imaging of accreting protoplanets at H$\alpha$. With 2040 actuators operating at up to 3630 Hz, MagAO-X will deliver high Strehls (>70%), high resolution (19 mas), and high contrast ($< 1\times10^{-4}$) at H$\alpha$ (656 nm). We present an overview of the MagAO-X system, review the system design, and discuss the current project status.