AN NSF-FUNDED CENTER Center for Adaptive Optics Director: Annual Report Jerry Nelson August 1, 2003 Managing Director: Chris Le Maistre Associate Directors: Andrea Ghez Program Year 4 Richard Dekany Reporting from November 1 Lisa Hunter 2002 to October 31 2003 Claire Max Scot Olivier Austin Roorda David Williams Phone: 831-459-5592 Fax: 831-459-5717 email: [email protected] Institutions: University of California Santa Cruz University of California Berkeley California Institute of Technology University of Chicago University of Houston Indiana University University of California Irvine University of California Los Angeles University of Rochester Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 1. GENERAL INFORMATION............................................................................................................................ 3 1.1. INSTITUTIONAL DATA ................................................................................................................................3 1.2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................6 1.2.1 CfAO Mission, Goals and Strategies.................................................................................................. 6 1.2.2 Themes................................................................................................................................................. 6 1.2.3 Research Management........................................................................................................................ 8 1.2.4 Partnerships ........................................................................................................................................ 9 1.2.5 Highlights for Year 4 .......................................................................................................................... 9 1.2.6 Closing remarks ................................................................................................................................ 11 2. RESEARCH..................................................................................................................................................... 12 2. 1 THEME 1: EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES: .................................................................................. 13 2.2. THEME 2: ADAPTIVE OPTICS FOR EXTREMELY LARGE TELESCOPES ..................................................... 13 2.2.1 Introduction...................................................................................................................................... 13 2.2.2 Research Accomplishments and Future Plans.................................................................................15 2.2.3 Develop partnerships to co-fund long-range hardware technology development for key components................................................................................................................................................. 17 2.2.4 Develop techniques for doing quantitative astronomy with laser guide stars............................... 19 2.2.5 Pursue astronomical science related to AO on 30-m telescopes ................................................... 19 2.3 THEME 3: EXTREME ADAPTIVE OPTICS (EXAO): ENABLING ULTRA-HIGH CONTRAST ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS................................................................................................................................................ 23 2. 3.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 23 2.3.2 Scientific Motivation........................................................................................................................ 23 2.3.3 ExAO Objectives .............................................................................................................................. 24 2.3.4 ExAO Theme Accomplishments....................................................................................................... 25 2.3.5 Future Plans - XAOPI timeline and milestones.............................................................................. 30 2.4 THEME 4 – COMPACT VISION SCIENCE INSTRUMENTATION FOR CLINICAL AND SCIENTIFIC USE ......... 31 2.4.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................................... 31 2.4.2 Instrumentation ................................................................................................................................ 32 2.4.3 Next Generation of MEMS Mirrors................................................................................................. 35 2.4.4 Image Processing for High Resolution Retinal Imaging................................................................ 35 2.4.5 How-To Manual for Vision AO Systems ......................................................................................... 36 2.4.6 Bioengineering Research Partnership ............................................................................................ 36 2.4.6 Scientific Achievements.................................................................................................................... 36 2.4.7 Clinical applications of AO ............................................................................................................. 37 2.4.8 Color sensations from single cones................................................................................................. 37 2.4.9 Other notable achievements in Year 4 include:.............................................................................. 37 2.4.10 Future Vision Science Thrusts....................................................................................................... 38 2.4.11 Technological Developments Required to Achieve Retinal Imaging Goals................................ 40 2.4.12 Vision Correction........................................................................................................................... 41 2.4.13 Corporate Partnerships and Commercialization ......................................................................... 42 2.4.14 Dissemination AO technology to the Vision Science, Optometric, and Ophthalmic Communities............................................................................................................................................... 42 3. EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES ............................................................................................... 43 3.1 OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................. 43 3.2 EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES....................................................................................................................... 43 3.3 PERFORMANCE AND MANAGEMENT INDICATORS .................................................................................... 44 3.4 ACTIVITIES................................................................................................................................................. 45 3.4.1 Internal Programs............................................................................................................................ 45 3.4.2 External Programs........................................................................................................................... 47 3.4.3 Professional Development............................................................................................................... 48 3.5 EHR INFRASTRUCTURE............................................................................................................................. 49 3.6 FUTURE PLANS .......................................................................................................................................... 50 3.6.1 Professional Development Workshop .............................................................................................. 50 3.6.2 Recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups into STEM fields: a long-term, national challenge..................................................................................................................................................... 50 3.6.3 Hawaii Educational Partnership..................................................................................................... 51 1 3.6.3 Summer School................................................................................................................................. 51 4. KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER ......................................................................................................................... 52 4.1 KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER OBJECTIVES....................................................................................................... 52 4.2 PROBLEMS.................................................................................................................................................. 52 4.3 DESCRIPTION OF MAIN KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER ACTIVITIES.................................................................. 53 4.4 OTHER KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER ACTIVITIES............................................................................................ 54 4.5 KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER ACTIVITIES - FUTURE PLANS........................................................................... 55 5. PARTNERSHIPS............................................................................................................................................