Astronomy Tea Talks at Caltech

'Robo-AO: Robotic Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics on the Palomar 60-inch in 2011'

Robo-AO will be the first robotic laser guide star adaptive optics
system, delivering high-angular-resolution observing in the visible
(0.1 arc sec) and near-infrared (>50% Strehl) for up to hundreds of
targets per night. This will enable the exploration of science
parameter spaces inaccessible to large diameter telescope adaptive
optics systems. A fully-working laboratory system has been operating
for several months with the on-sky system expected to start its science
demonstration period in early 2011 at Palomar Observatory's 60-inch
telescope. We will describe in detail the science potential and
capabilities of the Robo-AO system and review the technologies that
have only recently made this system possible.