Performance characterization and near-realtime monitoring of MUSE adaptive optics modes at Paranal

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the performance of MUSE's adaptive optics modes at Paranal, analyzing three years of data to improve system monitoring, optimize performance predictions, and enhance scientific output.

Contribution

It introduces a semi-automated framework for monitoring AO system performance and provides detailed analysis of NFM-AO performance over three years.

Findings

Measured Strehl ratios and PSF FWHM correlated with atmospheric conditions.

Performance improvements from recent upgrades in control matrices and sensors.

Framework facilitates real-time AO performance assessment during observations.

Abstract

The Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) is an integral field spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope Unit Telescope 4, capable of laser guide star assisted and tomographic adaptive optics using the GALACSI module. Its observing capabilities include a wide field (1 square arcmin), ground layer AO mode (WFM-AO) and a narrow field (7.5"x7.5"), laser tomography AO mode (NFM-AO). The latter has had several upgrades in the 4 years since commissioning, including an optimisation of the control matrices for the AO system and a new sub-electron noise detector for its infra-red low order wavefront sensor. We set out to quantify the NFM-AO system performance by analysing $\sim$230 spectrophotometric standard star observations taken over the last 3 years. To this end we expand upon previous work, designed to facilitate analysis of the WFM-AO system performance. We briefly describe the framework that will provide a user friendly, semi-automated way for system performance monitoring during science operations. We provide the results of our performance analysis, chiefly through the measured Strehl ratio and full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the core of the point spread function (PSF) using two PSF models, and correlations with atmospheric conditions. These results will feed into a range of applications, including providing a more accurate prediction of the system performance as implemented in the exposure time calculator, and the associated optimization of the scientific output for a given set of limiting atmospheric conditions.