The aim of this project is to provide a Laser Launch Telescope for the Laser Guide Star Facility of the Adaptive Optics system of the GTC telescope. This will allow to increase drastically the capacity of GTC to make high spatial resolution science. The Laser Launch Telescope is in charge of expanding the laser beam and projecting it into the atmosphere for optimal propagation, so that an artificial star of the highest possible quality is generated at 90 km of height. This Laser Launch Telescope allows to extend the observation capabilities of the FRIDA instrument, which uses the GTCAO system, and of future instruments for GTC.
The Adaptive Optics (AO) for the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) corrects the effect of the atmospheric turbulence on the light, to exploit the high spatial resolution capability of GTC. The Laser Guide Star (LGS) extends the coverage of GTCAO to any part of the sky, increasing dramatically the capability to do high spatial resolution science.
