Astronomical Instrumentation and Technology
MORFEO is a new adaptive optics module based on the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT-ESO, 39 m) and on Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics (MCAO), to compensate for distortions caused by turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere.
MORFEO will provide stable and sharp images over a wide field of view in the near-infrared (wavelengths from 0.8-2.4 μm) and make precise measurements of the positions, brightnesses and motions of stars. A configuration of six sodium laser guide stars, arranged in a circle on the sky, will provide a map of the different layers of turbulence above the telescope. The wavefront distortion will be calculated in real time (2 msec) and compensated by two deformable mirrors. The OAS clean room is now being adapted to accommodate the construction of the instrument.
Loiano Telescopes - Maintenance and upgrade of the Loiano telescopes are shared with INAF-OAS. Scientific and outreach activities are currently carried out at the telescopes.
Within the Euclid space mission (ESA), DIFA is involved in the development of the NISP (spectro-photometer in the infrared band) data reduction pipeline. M.Moresco is responsible in OU-SPE for WP5300 (Line flux measurements) together with E. Rossetti who is responsible for the coding, upgrade and maintenance of the spectral measurement algorithms.
Main collaborations:
- INAF-OAS (Bologna) : F. Cortecchia, P. Ciliegi, M. Lombini, A. De Rosa, I. Foppiani...