Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA)
Société canadienne d'astronomie (CASCA)

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Tim J. DAVIDGE
National Research Council

Adaptive Optics Systems on Canadian Telescopes

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The atmosphere distorts the wavefronts of astronomical sources, and this causes a degradation in angular resolution. The wavefront distortions can be partially corrected with Adaptive Optics (AO) systems. Canadian astronomers have been pioneers in the use of AO systems for astronomical observations. In this talk I will focus on 3 AO systems that have been available to Canadian astronomers : (1) HRCAM, which was used on the Canada-France Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) during the late 1980s and early 1990s and layed the foundation for subsequent AO developement, (2) the CFHT AO Bonnette, which has been in use at CFHT for almost a decade,, and (3) the Gemini ALTAIR system, which was commissioned in 2003. Plans for future AO systems on existing facilities, and for the next generation of large telescopes will also be discussed.