Lucaa dishes out robot-enhanced optics

The Pune-based Inter-university centre for astronomy and astrophysics (Iucaa) has collaborated with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), US, to manufacture the world’s first robotic adaptive optic (Robo-AO).

The Robo-AO, which costs an estimated Rs5 crore, is expected to double the observational efficiency of small and medium diameter telescopes (1-3 metre diameter) across the world. The introduction of the Robo-AO assumes significance considering that observations by small and medium telescopes were severely hampered by atmospheric disturbance which often blurred objects in space.

Almost all the software for the path-breaking instrument was developed in Iucaa’s instrumentation laboratory in Pune. Speaking to media persons at Iucaa on Wednesday, director Ajit Kembhavi said the two-year project was supported by grants from Iucaa as well as the National Science Foundation, US.

According to Kembhavi, the Caltech optical observatories (COO) had provided substantial time for the project on their Palomar 60-inch telescope (P60) for both engineering development and performance verification of the instrument.

Shrinivas Kulkarni, director of COO, said the Robo-AO is a major financial breakthrough as it will be available to many small and medium diameter telescopes around the world.

According to head of Iucaa’s instrumentation laboratory head, AN Ramaprakash, the Robo-AO would help telescopes like the Iucaa’s 2-metre telescope at Girawali double their efficiency.

“As the entire instrument is the size of a desktop computer and completely robotic, it will be able to observe 100 objects instead of just 10,” Ramaprakash said.