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Carmelo Arcidiacono

Publications and source records attributed to Carmelo Arcidiacono.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The MICADO first light imager for the ELT: the PSF Reconstruction Software

The MICADO instrument for the ESO ELT will provide Adaptive Optics (AO) diffraction-limited NIR imaging and spectroscopy. A critical component of MICADO is the Point Spread Function Reconstruction (PSF-R) Software, which is designed to perform a blind reconstruction of the PSF for all observations using AO telemetry data only, both with the Single Conjugate (SCAO) and Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics (MCAO) modes of MICADO. The SCAO PSF-R Pipeline is currently being completed, and validation with ERIS at VLT and SOUL+LUCI at LBT has demonstrated high accuracy, of percent-level on-axis and 5-20% off-axis. Initial scientific simulations confirm that the PSF-R software meets the necessary precision for high-quality analysis, securing its role for MICADO's first light and future ELT operations.

astro-ph.IM

The MICADO first light imager for the ELT: Simulated Observations of Star Forming Clumps at Cosmic Noon

Galaxies at redshift z$\sim$2-6 exhibit prominent star-forming regions (clumps). Characterisation of these galactic structures requires both high sensitivity and spatial resolution of $\sim$100 pc or less. Currently, these spatial scales are achievable only with the aid of strong gravitational lensing. However, lensing introduces model-dependent uncertainties and limits the sample to galaxies behind massive clusters. The upcoming 40m-class telescopes, such as the ESO Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), will enable routine studies of clumps in ubiquitous, non-lensed z$\ge$2 galaxies. We assess the capability of MICADO, the first-light imager and spectrograph of the ELT, to characterise clumps in non-lensed z=2 galaxies. Specifically, we focus on two representative observing scenarios, providing the basis for an early scientific exploitation of the instrument. We modelled clumps in an idealised z=2 star-forming galaxy and produced mock MICADO observations in both broad- and narrow-band imaging. The latter leverages the strong emission lines typical of clumps to improve detection and characterisation. Reaching UV rest-frame magnitudes of clumps as faint as M$_{UV} \sim -15$ in optimal observing conditions, MICADO will be able to efficiently characterise clumps in non-lensed z=2 galaxies down to R$_{e} \sim 20$ pc. Moreover, the full MICADO $\sim$1 arcmin$^2$ field of view enables efficient surveys of multiple targets. This study demonstrates MICADO's potential to fill a crucial observational gap, shedding new light on clump formation and evolution at cosmic noon. Accurate PSF reconstruction will be crucial to fully harness this capability as it significantly impacts clump detection and characterisation, especially at the smallest sizes ($<$40 pc).

astro-ph.GA

MORFEO: Advancing Towards Final Design

The Multiconjugate adaptive Optics Relay For ELT Observations (MORFEO) is a first-generation adaptive optics module for the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), designed to deliver a diffraction-limited, highly uniform 53x53 arcsec field of view to the MICADO near-infrared camera. As the project advances toward its Final Design Review (FDR), significant consolidations have been achieved across all subsystems. This paper presents an updated overview of the MORFEO system, highlighting its dual operational modes (MCAO and SCAO) and recent developments in its opto-mechanical architecture. We dedicate specific focus to the core adaptive hardware, detailing the fifth-generation post-focal deformable mirrors, the highly complex Laser Guide Star (LGS) objective zoom system required to track sodium layer variations, and the Natural Guide Star (NGS) low-order and reference sensing strategies. Furthermore, we detail the advanced pseudo-open-loop control strategy managed by a split Hard and Soft Real-Time Computer architecture. Finally, we report the latest end-to-end performance estimations obtained via the SPECULA simulation framework, demonstrating compliance with the stringent Strehl Ratio and sky coverage requirements under median atmospheric conditions.

astro-ph.IM

Continuous Wide-Field Optical Monitoring for Very Early-Phase Transient Discovery

The study of transient phenomena in a multimessenger context is expected to remain a major pillar of astrophysical discovery in the decades ahead. Supernovae, Kilonovae, Black-Hole formation, Novae, GRBs, and tidal disruption events are prime examples, as their earliest phases link electromagnetic radiation to gravitational waves, neutrinos, and high-energy emission. Yet, the physics connecting these messengers unfolds within minutes to hours, while traditional surveys revisit the same region of the sky on the scale of days/weeks, missing when the event begins. Current survey facilities excel at answering what happened and how often, but essentially fail in addressing how it happened and how it couples to gravitational waves, neutrinos, or high-energy emission. Continuous wide-area optical monitoring, as proposed here, removes this limitation. The traditional approach, where a GW or neutrino alert triggers electromagnetic follow-up, is now complemented, and sometimes reversed: early electromagnetic discoveries can prompt searches for weaker gravitational waves or neutrino signals that would otherwise be missed. In the Einstein Telescope era, wide-field optical monitoring will allow us to find the optical counterparts of gravitational-wave events and understand their physics. At the same time, a telescope capable of continuous monitoring provides immediate scientific value for planetary defense, space-debris tracking, stellar variability, exoplanets transit monitoring, accretion-driven activity, and when we step into a new observational territory, the true discoveries are often the ones we did not expect. In this vision, continuous time-domain astronomy does not replace classical surveys: it completes them by supplying the missing temporal dimension. Follow-up observations remain essential, but they now begin at the physical onset of the event rather than after its evolution is underway.

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LRPayne: Stellar parameters and abundances from low-resolution spectra

Aims. This paper introduces LRPayne, a novel algorithm designed for the efficient determination of stellar parameters and chemical abundances from low-resolution optical spectra, with a primary focus on data from large-scale galactic surveys such as WEAVE. Methods. LRPayne employs a model-driven approach, utilising a fully connected artificial neural network (ANN), trained on a library of 70,000 synthetic stellar spectra generated using iSpec with 1D MARCS model atmospheres and the Turbospectrum synthesis code. The network is trained to predict normalized flux given stellar labels (Teff, log(g), [Fe/H], vmic, vmax and v sin i, and 24 individual elemental abundances). Stellar parameters are subsequently derived from observed spectra by finding the best-fit synthetic spectrum from the ANN using a chi-squared minimisation technique. The method operates on spectra degraded to a resolution of R=5000 covering the wavelength range 4200-6900 Å. Results. Internal accuracy tests on synthetic spectra show a median interpolation error of less than 0.13 % for 90 % of the validation sample. The method accurately recovers most input labels from synthetic spectra, even at a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of 20, with some expected challenges for elements like Li, K, and N. Validation on observed spectra of 25 Gaia FGK benchmark stars and 42 metal-poor stars reveals good agreement with literature values. For stellar parameters, mean differences are 22+-87 K for Teff , 0.19+-0.23 dex for log(g), and 0.01+-0.17 dex for [Fe/H]. Abundances for elements like Na, Mg, Si, and most Fe-peak elements (Cr, Ni, V, Sc) are well-recovered. Challenges are noted for oxygen, manganese in metal-rich giants, aluminium in metal-poor stars and dwarfs, and for deriving log g in hot metal-poor dwarfs, partly due to non-local thermodynamic equilibrium effects and line characteristics.

astro-ph.SR

Pupil plane WFSs for LGS systems of giant telescopes: the case of Ingot

The Ingot WFS belongs to a class of pupil-plane WFSs designed to address the challenges posed by Sodium Laser Guide Stars, and consists of a combination of refractive and reflective surfaces, arranged into a complex prismatic shape that extends in three dimensions. Specifically, it leverages the Scheimpflug principle to sense the full 3D volume of such elongated, time-varying sources, thus optimizing the performance of the next-generation AO-assisted giant telescopes. In this work we discuss the geometrical and optical motivations endorsing the development of this class of WFSs, showing the different configurations we propose to the AO community. We also provide a first order comparative analysis with other approaches and review the state-of-the-art of the Ingot project, including improvements made in the laboratory and future milestones.

astro-ph.IM

New developments on the Ingot WFS laboratory testing

The Ingot WFS was designed to overcome some of the challenges present in classical wavefront sensors when they deal with sodium LGSs. This innovative sensor works by sensing the full 3D volume of the elongated LGS and is suitable for use in very large telescopes. A test bench has been assembled at the INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova laboratories to test and characterize the functioning of the Ingot WFS. In this work, we summarize the main results of the tests performed on a new search algorithm. Then, we move towards a more accurate simulation of the sodium LGS by replicating real time-varying sodium layer profiles. The study of their impact on the ingot pupil signals is described in this work.

astro-ph.IM

The MICADO first light imager for the ELT: off-axis performance of PSF reconstruction

The highest scientific return, for adaptive optics (AO) observations, is achieved with a reliable reconstruction of the PSF. This is especially true for MICADO@ELT. In this presentation, we will focus on extending the MICADO PSF reconstruction (PSF-R) method to the off-axis case. Specifically, a novel approach based on temporal-based tomography of AO telemetry data has been recently implemented. Results from the PSF-R of both simulated and real data show that, at half isoplanatic angle distances, a precision of about 10-15% is achievable in both Strehl ratio and full-width at half maximum, paving the way to extend the MICADO PSF-R tool also to the multi-conjugated AO case.

astro-ph.IM

The MICADO first light imager for the ELT: the PSF Reconstruction Software

MICADO is the first-light camera of the ESO ELT, allowing NIR imaging and long-slit spectroscopy assisted by adaptive optics. MICADO is now entering its construction phase, and the software for data reduction is reaching an adequate maturity level. The PSF Reconstruction (PSF-R) of MICADO is a software tool for the blind derivation of the PSF, only using adaptive optics telemetry data. An update of the status of the PSF-R service is provided here. The PSF-R prototype has been tested on ERIS@VLT data in order to check the reconstruction of on- and off-axis PSFs. The on-axis PSF-R is accurate at a few percent level on Strehl, FWHM, Encircled Energy, and half light radius, while for the off-axis case the match is within 10-15 percent at a distance of half isoplanatic angle. The first version of the workflow for the PSF-R pipeline has been developed and verified using the latest release of the ESO data processing system. A set of simulations has been implemented on the morphological analysis of distant galaxies, showing that the accuracy of the PSF-R matches the goals needed to study their morphology. In summary, the PSF-R team is on the right track towards the ELT first light.

astro-ph.IM

A numerical simulation study of an astrometry case for MORFEO at the ELT

We report results from numerical simulations assessing astrometry measurements with the Multiconjugate Adaptive Optics Relay for ELT Observations (MORFEO) instrument on the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). Using the Advanced Exposure Time Calculator (AETC), we evaluate MORFEO astrometric accuracy in moderately crowded fields. Our simulations account for spatially variable Point Spread Function (PSF), geometric distortion, and rotation-dependent variations. We computed focal plane coordinates using observed stellar distribution and computed population synthesis with the SPISEA tool, generating stellar magnitude distributions for MICADO filters at selected metallicities and stellar ages. Our analysis shows that MORFEO can achieve high-precision astrometry in the galaxy neighborhood (within $μ< 24$ mag) by minimizing PSF enlargement and optimizing calibration strategies. These results inform future observational campaigns and contribute to the development of astrometric science cases for the ELT.

astro-ph.IM

FlyEye Ground-Based Telescope: Unveiling New Frontiers in Astronomical Science

The FlyEye design makes its debut in the ESA's NEOSTEL developed by OHB-Italia. This pioneering FlyEye telescope integrates a monolithic 1-meter class primary mirror feeding 16 CCD cameras for discovering Near-Earth Object (NEO) and any class of transient phenomena. OHB-Italia is the prime contractor, receiving extended support from the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) in the ESA's NEOSTED program's integration and testing. The FlyEye distinctive design splits the Field of View into 16 channels, creating a unique multi-telescope system with a panoramic 44 square degree Field of View and a seeing-size pixel-scale, enabling NEOs detection down to apparent magnitudes 21.5 insisting on a 1m diameter spherical mirror. The scientific products of a similar FlyEye telescope can complement facilities such as Vera Rubin (former LSST) and ZTF. The FlyEye has the ability to survey two-thirds of the visible sky about three times per night can revolutionize time-domain astronomy, enabling comprehensive studies of transient phenomena, placing FlyEye in a new era of exploration of the dynamic universe. Efforts to develop automated calibration and testing procedures are keys to realizing this transformative potential.

astro-ph.IM

An Ingot-like class of WaveFront Sensors for Laser Guide Stars

Full sky coverage Adaptive Optics on Extremely Large Telescopes requires the adoption of several Laser Guide Stars as references.With such large apertures, the apparent elongation of the beacons is absolutely significant.With few exceptions,WaveFront Sensors designed for Natural Guide Stars are adapted and used in suboptimal mode in this context. We analyse and describe the geometrical properties of a class of WaveFront Sensors that are specifically designed to deal with Laser Guide Stars propagated from a location in the immediate vicinity of the telescope aperture. We describe in three dimensions the loci where the light of the Laser Guide Stars would focus in the focal volume located behind the focal plane (where astronomical objects are reimaged). We also describe the properties of several types of optomechanical devices that, through refraction and reflections, act as perturbers for this new class of pupil plane sensors, which we call ingot WaveFront Sensor. We give the recipes both for the most reasonable complex version of these WaveFront Sensors, with 6 pupils, and for the simplest one, with only 3 pupils. Both of them are referred to the ELT case. Elements to have a qualitative idea of how the sensitivity of such a new class of sensors compared to conventional ones are outlined. We present a new class of WaveFront Sensors, by carrying out the extension to the case of elongated sources at finite distance of the pyramid WaveFront Sensor and pointing out which advantages of the pyramid are retained and how it can be adopted to optimize the sensing.

astro-ph.IM

Towards the MICADO@ELT PSF-R with simulated and real data

Observations close to the diffraction limit, with high Strehl ratios from Adaptive Optics (AO)-assisted instruments mounted on ground-based telescopes are a reality and will become even more widespread with the next generation instruments that equip 30 meter-class telescopes. This results in a growing interest in tools and methods to accurately reconstruct the observed Point Spread Function (PSF) of AO systems. We will discuss the performance of the PSF reconstruction (PSF-R) software developed in the context of the MICADO instrument of the Extremely Large Telescope. In particular, we have recently implemented a novel algorithm for reconstructing off-axis PSFs. In every case, the PSF is reconstructed from AO telemetry, without making use of science exposures. We will present the results coming from end-to-end simulations and real AO observations, covering a wide range of observing conditions. Specifically, the spatial variation of the PSF has been studied with different AO-reference star magnitudes. The reconstructed PSFs are observed to match the reference ones with a relative error in Strehl ratio and full-width at half maximum below 10% over a field of view of the order of one arcmin, making the proposed PSF-R method an appealing tool to assist observation analysis, and interpretation.

astro-ph.IM

MORFEO enters final design phase

MORFEO (Multi-conjugate adaptive Optics Relay For ELT Observations, formerly MAORY), the MCAO system for the ELT, will provide diffraction-limited optical quality to the large field camera MICADO. MORFEO has officially passed the Preliminary Design Review and it is entering the final design phase. We present the current status of the project, with a focus on the adaptive optics system aspects and expected milestones during the next project phase.

astro-ph.IM

Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor sensitivity loss factor estimation in partial correction regime

In typical adaptive optics applications, the atmospheric residual turbulence affects the wavefront sensor response decreasing its sensitivity. On the other hand, wavefront sensors are generally calibrated in diffraction limited condition, and, so, the interaction matrix sensitivity differs from the closed loop one. The ratio between the two sensitivities, that we will call the sensitivity loss factor, has to be estimated to retrieve a well-calibrated measurement. The spots size measurement could give a good estimation, but it is limited to systems with spots well sampled and uniform across the pupil. We present an algorithm to estimate sensitivity loss factor from closed loop data, based on the known parameters of the closed loop transfer functions. Here we preferred for simplicity the Shack-Hartmann WFS, but the algorithm we propose can be extended to other WFSs.

astro-ph.IM

The ESO's Extremely Large Telescope Working Groups

Since 2005 ESO has been working with its community and industry to develop an extremely large optical/infrared telescope. ESO's Extremely Large Telescope, or ELT for short, is a revolutionary ground-based telescope that will have a 39-metre main mirror and will be the largest visible and infrared light telescope in the world. To address specific topics that are needed for the science operations and calibrations of the telescope, thirteen specific working groups were created to coordinate the effort between ESO, the instrument consortia, and the wider community. We describe here the goals of these working groups as well as their achievements so far.

astro-ph.IM

FLYEYE family tree, from smart fast cameras to MezzoCielo

We developed game-changing concepts for meter(s) class very-wide-field telescopes, spanning three orders of magnitude of the covered field of view. Multiple cameras and monocentric systems: from the Smart Fast Cameras (with a quasi-monocentric aperture), through the FlyEye, toward a MezzoCielo concept (both with a truly monocentric aperture). MezzoCielo (or "half of the sky") is the last developed concept for a new class of telescopes. Such a concept is based on a fully spherical optical surface filled with a low refractive index, and high transparency liquid surrounded by multiple identical cameras. MezzoCielo is capable to reach field of views in the range of ten to twenty thousand square degrees.

astro-ph.IM

Contactless actuators and pyramid wavefront sensor, the SPLATT concept for space active optics: an overview of the project and the last laboratory results

In the last few years the concept of an active space telescope has been greatly developed, to meet demanding requirements with a substantial reduction of tolerances, risks and costs. This is the frame of the LATT project (an ESA TRP) and its follow-up SPLATT (an INAF funded R&D project). Within the SPLATT activities, we outline a novel approach and investigate, both via simulations and in the optical laboratory, two main elements: an active segmented primary with contactless actuators and a pyramid wavefront sensor (PWFS) to drive the correction chain. The key point is the synergy between them: the sensitivity of the PWFS and the intrinsic stability of a contactless-actuated mirror segment. Voice-coil, contactless actuators are in facts a natural decoupling layer between the payload and the optical surface and can suppress the high frequency vibration as we verified in the lab. We subjected a 40 cm diameter prototype with 19 actuators to an externally injected vibration spectrum; we then measured optically the reduction of vibrations when the optical surface is floating controlled by the actuators, thus validating the concept at the first stage of the design. The PWFS, which is largely adopted on ground-based telescope, is a pupil-conjugated sensor and offers a user-selectable sampling and capture range, in order to match different use cases; it is also more sensitive than Shack-Hartmann sensor especially at the low-mid spatial scales. We run a set of numerical simulations with the PWFS measuring the misalignment and phase steps of a JWST-like primary mirrors: we investigated the PWFS sensitivity in the sub-nanometer regime in presence of photon and detector noise, and with guide star magnitudes in the range 8 to 14. In the paper we discuss the outcomes of the project and present a possible roadmap for further developments.

astro-ph.IM