Missions

The proposed research topic focuses on studying tip/tilt management for MICADO's single conjugate adaptive optics (SCAO) system for the European Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). Using the MICADO team's simulation tools and the solutions developed as part of this research topic, the aim will also be to work on establishing the SCAO error budget in order to derive its performance, and to develop and test the control algorithms that will be implemented in the real-time computer of MICADO's SCAO system.

Activités

The wind resistance of the ELT's immense structure will cause the telescope to oscillate with an amplitude far greater than the degradation in image quality caused by turbulence. In addition, various sources of excitation such as motors, electronics, and cryogenic refrigerators located around the instrument will cause vibrations, mainly in the form of tip/tilt aberrations. When detected by the SCAO system, these vibrations will degrade its performance.

Strategies for managing these tip/tilt errors have already been implemented for the current generation of AO systems (e.g., Kalman filter or, more generally, LQG method). Building on this existing work, the aim will be to develop a strategy specific to MICADO's SCAO and to develop the corresponding algorithms. After getting to grips with our COMPASS AO simulation code, the next step will be to implement these algorithms and optimize them by measuring their performance. This will involve working on establishing the overall error budget for MICADO's SCAO mode, based on the work already carried out and incorporating the results obtained for tip/tilt management.

This work will feed into the design of the SCAO real-time computer. The next step will be to validate the algorithms developed on MICADO's SCAO adaptive optics bench, which is currently being integrated.

Compétences

- PhD in physics, related to adaptive optics or control/automation theory
- Adaptive optics simulations
- Integration and on-bench testing in high angular resolution technology
- Python language
- Technical English

Contexte de travail

LIRA, a department of the Paris Observatory and a CNRS laboratory, is one of France's largest astrophysics research laboratories. The laboratory has more than 300 members, including approximately 165 permanent staff. LIRA's primary mission is:
- the design and production of scientific space and ground-based instrumentation;
- the operation and scientific interpretation of observations made by the instruments produced;
- developing advanced techniques implemented in ground-based and space-based instruments.

LIRA is located at the Meudon site of the Paris Observatory.

The successful candidate will join the MICADO project team for the ELT and the High Angular Resolution in Astrophysics division of LIRA.

This project is being conducted in close collaboration with the adaptive optics team at the Charles Fabry Laboratory (LCF) of the Institut d'Optique Graduate School in Palaiseau.

The LCF has 140 members, half of whom are permanent staff. Its adaptive optics team is internationally recognized for its expertise in the design of high-performance control laws for adaptive optics systems, for applications in astronomy, biomedicine, and telecommunications.

The successful candidate will therefore divide his/her time between the sites of these laboratories.

Contraintes et risques

The successful candidate will be required to present his/her work at meetings of the European MICADO project team and at international conferences.