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.
This line includes instrumental projects designed to measure and correct the disturbances introduced by the atmosphere on the light received by the scientific instruments. We develop highly specialized devices to measure and characterize the atmospheric turbulence and also specific instruments that, placed in the telescope, are able to compensate the effects of the atmosphere and deliver a corrected beam to the scientific instrument.