Q4 FY10 Exoplanet Presentation Philip Hinz - PI Thomas McMahon - PM

1. LBTI Q4 FY10 Exoplanet Presentation Philip Hinz - PI Thomas McMahon - PM

2. Aug Aug Aug Jul Aug Sep Sep Sep Sep Oct Oct Oct Technical Programmatic Schedule Resources Project Overview

3. LBTI Summary Outstanding LBTI on-sky results during 1st three nights on the sky • Obtained instrument First Light! • Obtained instrument first Fringes! • Telescope is well behaved, i.e. stable enough to easily interfere the beams. Next LBTI Observing Block November 4-6 • Concentrate on Adaptive Optics Imaging at 2-10µm • Attempt initial interferometry science. FY11 Project Schedule • Resources now available to support 10+ commissioning nights during FY11. • NIC Imager scheduled to start commissioning in March 2011 • A fraction of the nights will focus on science observations of key science targets.

4. FIRST Light and Fringes! Beta Peg: Combined 10µm image from the LBTI imager. Image is “seeing limited” under poor weather conditions (seeing ~1.2 arc sec). It does demonstrate the LBTI instrument and LBTO telescope’s 23 meter resolution capabilities and stability “right out of the box”.

5. The Next Observing Run November 4-6, 2010 LBTI November observing will be used to attempt two separate goals: AO imaging, and Interferometry Science. We will intersperse tasks from each area during the run, to maximize use of on-sky time.

6. Targets for the Next Observing Run

7. FY 10-11 Commissioning Accomplishments • Instrument Shipped to LBTO on September 31, on schedule. • Installed on Telescope September 2, two days ahead of schedule. Day One Sept 31: Instrument Arrives at noon Reassembling the instrument Prepping the platform. We noticed some new obstacles to overcome

8. FY 10-11 Commissioning Accomplishments Day Two, 15:00 Oct 1 We were not able to gain access to the telescope until the MODS Facility instrument team finished with their day Installing the Wave Front Sensor fixtures. The wave front sensor sit inside the rotators (circular apertures) and have to be stowed out of the way while the beam combiner is installed Lifting the Wave Front Sensors onto the holding fixtures Working both sides of the primary. Oli Durvey finishes the Wave Front Sensor installation

9. FY 10-11 Commissioning Accomplishments We were not able to gain access to the telescope until the MODS Facility instrument team finished with their day Day Two, 19:00 Oct 1 Lifting over the telescope. A very nervous 45 minutes Lifting the beam combiner to the telescope 90 minutes later we are on the telescope!

10. FY 10-11 Commissioning Accomplishments Day Three to Nine, Oct 2 - 8 Activity on the telescope Adjusting the DX wave front sensor Completing the electrical system Aligning the imager pupil to the system

11. FY 10-11 Commissioning Accomplishments Day Ten, Oct 14… First Night of Observing Here the telescope is horizon pointing giving the best vantage point of the instrument mounted on the telescope

12. FY 10-11 Commissioning Accomplishments Day Ten, Oct 14… First Night of Observing Not the best night sky conditions… But then it cleared… Defocused 10µm image of the primaries showing secondary spider arms. This is the first image of both primaries on a single focal plane.

13. FY 10-11 Commissioning Accomplishments Day Ten, Oct 14… First Night of Observing And first Fringes… Combined image of Beta Peg in seeing-limited mode First Light. A very comatic and out of focus stellar image at 10µm. All the time in the lab paid off… The beams were cleaned up and the wave front sensors were utilized. The image on the left in the pyramid pupil image from the right beam.

14. FY11 Commissioning • Telescope Present Configuration and Capabilities • November ’10 - June ’11 • One Adaptive Secondary System (right side). • One Fixed Secondary System (left side). • Binocular pointing mode commissioning. • September ’11 - January ’12 • 2 AO Secondaries • One being commissioned • One operational • Binocular pointing mode commissioned Telescope Configuration in 2010-11 Adaptive Secondary Mirror (ASM) Unit #1 Fixed Secondary SX DX

15. Near Term Commissioning Timeline The graph below indicates the top level commissioning schedule and telescope schedule we anticipate to maintain over the next 12+ months.

16. FY 2011 Goals • Utilize the remaining nights to continue characterization of the telescope and interferometer. • Perform preliminary science on select targets. • Diffraction limited imaging from 3.5µm to 13µm • Seeing limited speckle interferometry with 23 m baseline • Prepare the system for diffraction limited interferometry.

17. Telescope Milestones True Binocular Ops Definition: Activities in preparing the telescope for coordinated binocular (simultaneous) observations. Activities include Instrument ports commissioning, software, mirror mount upgrades, mirror covers, two secondary/tertiary mirrors operational. Daytime AO Commissioning Definition: Secondary mounted with artificial source at center of curvature (See image on next slide) and wave front sensor. Testing conducted during the daytime hours with dome closed. Repeat of test suite performed in Italy that will verify proper, and expected on-telescope performance. On-sky Commissioning Definition: Open dome, closed loop testing using natural guide star. Italians have asked for 50+ nights with seeing “good seeing”. This is the driver for the 4-5 month on-sky commissioning period. LBTI expect near normal AO operations to be achieved by late-Fall ‘10

18. Instrument Milestones Telescope re-installation: Includes mechanical installation of the Beam Combiner, Wave Front Sensors, electronics. Internal alignment and integration included the instrument alignment with the optical axis of the telescope. Alignment will be accomplished with an infrared test camera, and prototype nulling interferometer (BLINC/MIRAC) LBTI AO Commissioning: Commissioning tasks associated with the operations of the first dedicated wave front sensor (Unit #1). Unit # 2 commissioning will take place after the AO Secondary Mirror unit #2 is commissioned in calendar 2011. AO Interferometry Commissioning: Commences after AO Secondary Mirror #2 is installed and commissioned and when funding profile supports the activity.

19. Other Project Activities Inside of of the NIC cryostat just prior to installation of detector systems in August The Project has also pushed a head with the testing of the NIC imager: • Limited progress due to limited resources… i.e. everyone was concentrating on support the installation and first observing run. • Testing in continuing in the lab with performance characterization. • LMIRCam testing finishing up in Virginia. Expect delivery in late November.

20. Other Project Activities First light article in the Arizona Daily Star: http://azstarnet.com/news/local/education/college/article_d0bcb666-9378-5330-abfc-09f58b536310.html Instrument Wiki and Blog page: http://zero.as.arizona.edu/groups/lbti/ NASA Feature Article due out November 9

21. FY10/11 Project Schedule See following slide for annotations

22. Annotated FY10/11 Project Schedule Final testing carried out after AO Unit #2 delivered. Today Will work on lab testing of imager until allowed to integrate with telescope Pre-ship review of Imager in late January/early February (to be scheduled) Canceled. Determined effort too great for limited resources and scheduling issues with MMT First opportunity to integrate and test imager on telescope Anticipated commissioning of AO Unit #2. Limited schedule information available

23. Annotated FY11 Project Schedule • Observing Block 1 is complete • We have 3 more scheduled nights. • We have requested 6 additional nights in 2011A telescope period. • AO Unit #2 is expected to be delivered in May prior to telescope summer shutdown (~2 month slip) • Anticipate 3 month AO Unit #2 commissioning period between September and December 2011 • LBTI AO Interferometry commissioning can take place concurrently with AO Unit #2 commissioning • Anticipate transitioning to science operations in early calendar 2012

24. Open Items

25. Problems & Concerns

26. Problems & Concerns C Description Item #1: LBT Schedule dependency - Telescope construction schedule is on the critical path. Current Status Completion of the interferometric capable telescope now scheduled for late Fall 2011. Expected Resolution/Impact LBTI expects to move forward with commissioning tasks to the limit of the telescope capabilities. AO Unit #2 remains on the critical path to Science Operations. Expect Unit #2 to be delivered in May 2011.

27. Problems & Concerns C Description Item #2: LBT Performance - Telescope performance has impacts on instrument productivity. Current Status Telescope commissioning continues. Presently no known issues of telescope performance are show stoppers. LBTO is actively addressing all issues. First light performance showed no issues that cannot be addressed and overcome before the observatory commissions interferometric capabilities. AO performance meets LBTI requirements. Expected Resolution/Impact LBTI project continues to monitor the evolution of the telescope system.

28. Problems & Concerns C Description Item #3: Instrument Integration Schedule - Instrument commissioning schedule is ambitious for 20 nights. Current Status LBTI struggles with sufficient funds for full commissioning schedule and with the log jam of telescope facility commissioning tasks that take priority. We have been able to jump the line and start limited commissioning. Project plan and finances support 10 nights of on-sky commissioning in FY11. Expected Resolution/Impact

29. Problems & Concerns C Description Item #5: FY 11 funding impacts upon commissioning. Current Status Retired/Resolved. Expected Resolution/Impact LBTI now has promise of sufficient funds to maintain staff level to support 10 nights of on-sky commissioning and possibility of ramping up/re-organizing staff to support start of science ops in FY12.

30. Action Items ACTION ITEM NO. STATUS: I/C* CLOSURE REFERENCE/ DOCUMENT ID DESCRIPTION *I = In Work/C = Complete

31. Labor Summary

32. FY 10 Project Finances

33. FY11 Project Finances

34. High Med Low L x C Trend Decreasing (Improving) Increasing (Worsening) Unchanged New Since Last Period Risk Approach M - Mitigate W - Watch A - Accept R - Research Criticality No change from last reporting period.

35. Risk Focus