ESO/OSA Topical Meeting on

NEW - Contains instructions for the Proceedings

The European Southern Observatory and the Optical Society of America are cosponsoring for the second time a topical meeting on Adaptive Optics. This joint meeting will address the rapidly evolving field of Astronomical Adaptive Optics. The meeting will cover the full range of topics from astronomical observational results and techniques, to foreseen breakthroughs in astrophysics due to new generation systems, from data reduction techniques, to AO system engineering and developments. It will serve as a common forum for astrophysicists and engineers, to provide for a discussion on the latest developments and advances in Astronomical Adaptive Optics, and for a fine-tuning of the instrumental requirements based on the scientific application. The meeting will be held at the Allgau Stern Hotel ,  in Sonthofen. To encourage participation of young scientist, we have kept the meeting fees to a minimum. Limited support for Ph.D. students and scientists participation will be available. Candidates should write to the Meeting Chair, and will be selected by the Program Committee. Companies which will be willing to exhibit their products and give poster papers on them are welcome to apply at no extra charge. The Proceedings with oral and poster presentations will be published in full by ESO.

SCOPE

Joint ESO/OSA sponsorship will provide an inter-disciplinary forum for the presentation and discussion of results in astrophysics with Adaptive Optics, and Adaptive Optics technologies for Astrophysics. We want to deliberately attract to the meeting astrophysicists as well engineers working on Adaptive Optics systems being prepared for Astronomical use. Astrophysical results obtained from existing AO systems, observational methods, post-processing and deconvolution of AO data, will be presented. Attention will be directed also to complementary results from HST observations, and proposals for future earth/space-based complementary programs. Problems, lessons learned so far with existing AO systems and their routine operation will be addressed, for a lively interaction with the engineers currently building AO systems. Experience and lessons learned with laser guide stars facilities would be presented. New theoretical results on atmospheric turbulence, AO systems simulations, servo-loop control and operation are encouraged to be presented. Presentation on new generation AO subsystem components as well as experimental results obtained with them is encouraged.

Topics to be covered

• Astrophysical Results obtained with Adaptive optics system.
• Real life AO systems, performances, calibration issues and observing techniques
• What AO is able to deliver to the astronomer: simulation results and observing implications on different classes of objects.
• Astrophysical key programs for current and future AO systems, requirements on AO or on the instruments.
• Astrophysical key programs with single speckle, AO assisted, interferometry, requirements on AO
• Operational experience with current AO systems, Natural Guide Star and Laser Guide Star
• AO-HST joint astrophysical programs and results
• Earth based AO-Space telescopes future complementary key programs
• AO Data reduction and deconvolution techniques
• AO servo-loop monitoring and optimization, user requirements
• Novel devices coming up for AO, Prototypes
• Atmospheric turbulence and AO systems theory
• Laser Guide Stars, implementation and operation
• Current and planned future AO systems presentation .

Conference Sponsors

Astronomy with Adaptive Optics 1998  is sponsored by the

Program Organizing Committee

The Astronomy with Adaptive Optics 1998 Program Organizing Committee is comprised of the following members:

Local Organizing Committee

The Local Organizing Committee includes: Domenico Bonaccini, Paola Amico, Christina Stoffer and Elena Zuffanelli.

Contact Person for the Proceedings: