Observing with Adaptive Optics 2025

12 Oct 2025, 14:00 → 17 Oct 2025, 16:00 UTC

The 2nd edition of the Observing with Adaptive Optics international school will take place at Observatoire de Haute Provence in France from 12th to 17th October 2025. 

 

During the school the students will use the PAPYRUS Adaptive Optics bench installed at the T152 telescope. The students will be involved in all phases of an adaptive-optics assisted astronomical observation. Frontal lessons on the fundamental topics of the discipline are planned, as well as tutoring sessions for the development of observation preparation and data analysis tools. 

Observation of Mars with Papyrus on T152 telescope at OHP

Audience

The summer school is aimed at two audiences: 

1) young astronomers who in their careers will primarily use adaptive optics-assisted instruments and are interested in understanding the strengths and limitations of adaptive optics instruments

2) young technologists who will develop the next generation adaptive optics systems and are interested in understanding how an adaptive astronomical observation is carried out, from preparation to data analysis.   

Optical scheme of Papyrus
 

 

Topics

The tentative list of topics that will be addressed is the following:  

• Imaging and IFU spectroscopy with an AO-assisted instrument
• Geometrical and diffractive optics for ground-based telescopes
• Image formation through the atmosphere
• Fundamentals of Control Theory for astronomical AO 
• Wavefront sensing in AO for astronomy
• Wavefront reconstruction in AO for astronomy
• AO system design
• Image deconvolution in astronomy: PSF reconstruction,  PSF modeling & fitting
• Beyond general-purpose AO or how to address the specific limitations of AO: High contrast / Wide field / Laser assisted AO
• Real life examples of AO-assisted instrument development

 

Cost and accomodation

The students will be hosted at OHP. The number of students will be limited to about 25. 

Apart from travel to/from Marseille, all other expenses will be covered by the organization.  The organization provides bus from Marseille station and/or airport the day of arrival and departure

 

Important dates

• 28 Mar 2025  - Registration Open
• 9 May 2025 - Registration closed
• 23 May 2025 - Registration confirmation
• 12 - 17 Oct  2025 -  School    
   

Supported by

Sunday 12 October

16:00 → 20:00 Other: Bus from Marseille Airport to OHP and accomodation

20:00 → 21:00 Dinner

21:00 → 22:30 Other: The Great AO Escape Room and 30s Lighting Round introduction

Monday 13 October

09:00 → 10:30 Class: Imaging through the atmosphere (Jean Pierre Veran)

10:30 → 11:00 Coffee

11:00 → 12:30 Class: Wavefront sensors (Charlotte Bond)

12:30 → 14:30 Lunch

14:30 → 16:00 Tutorials: AO Simulations / Teams 3,4,5,6

14:30 → 16:00 Tutorials: Papyrus AO bench / Teams 1,2

16:00 → 16:30 Coffee

16:30 → 18:00 Tutorials: AO Simulations / Teams 3,4,5,6

16:30 → 18:00 Tutorials: Papyrus AO bench / Teams 1,2

18:00 → 19:30 Team Work: Project / Teams 5,6

18:00 → 19:30 Tutorials: Data Analysis / Teams 1,2

18:00 → 19:30 Tutorials: Papyrus AO bench / Teams 3,4

19:30 → 21:00 Dinner

21:00 → 23:59 Observation: Papyrus Observation / Teams 1,2

21:00 → 23:59 Team Work: Project and/or stargazing / Teams 3,4,5,6

Tuesday 14 October

09:00 → 10:30 Class: Detectors for Adaptive Optics (Jean Luc Gach)

10:30 → 11:00 Coffe

11:00 → 12:30 Class: Fundamentals of Control Theory and Wavefront Reconstruction (Carlos Correia)

12:30 → 14:30 Lunch

14:30 → 16:00 Class: Science with the ELT (Michele Cirasuolo)

16:00 → 16:30 Coffe

16:30 → 18:00 Class: Reflections on the Webb Telescope and Cycling the world (Scott Acton)

18:00 → 19:30 Team Work: Project / Teams 5,6

18:00 → 19:30 Tutorials: Data Analysis / Teams 1,2

18:00 → 19:30 Tutorials: Papyrus Bench / teams 3,4

19:30 → 21:00 Dinner

21:00 → 23:59 Observation: Papyrus Observations / Teams 3,4

21:00 → 23:59 Team Work: Project and/or Stargazing / Teams 1,2,5,6

Wednesday 15 October

09:00 → 10:30 Class: SCAO design and Keck AO system (Peter Wizinowich)

10:30 → 11:00 Coffe

11:00 → 12:30 Class: eXtreme Adaptive Optics (Vincent Chambouleyron)

12:30 → 14:30 Lunch

14:30 → 16:00 Tutorials: AO simulations / Teams 1,2

14:30 → 16:00 Tutorials: Data Analysis / teams 3,4

14:30 → 16:00 Tutorials: Papyrus Bench / Teams 5,6

16:00 → 16:30 Coffe

16:30 → 18:00 Tutorials: AO simulations / Teams 1,2

16:30 → 18:00 Tutorials: Data analysis / Teams 3,4

16:30 → 18:00 Tutorials: Papyrus bench / Teams 5,6

18:00 → 19:30 Class: Wide Field Adaptive Optics (Vincent Chambouleyron)

19:30 → 21:00 Dinner

21:00 → 23:59 Observation: Papyrus Observation / Teams 5,6

21:00 → 23:59 Team Work: Project and/or stargazing

Thursday 16 October

09:00 → 10:30 Class: The development of an AO system for a VLT instrument: from science cases to commissioning (Armando Riccardi)

10:30 → 11:00 Coffe

11:00 → 12:30 Class: AI4AO (Morgan Gray)

12:30 → 14:30 Lunch

14:30 → 16:00 Team Work: Project / Team 3,4

14:30 → 16:00 Team Work: Project / Teams 1,2

14:30 → 16:00 Tutorials: Data Analysis / Teams 5,6

14:30 Coffe

16:00 → 16:30 Coffe

16:30 → 18:00 Team Work: Project / Team 3,4

16:30 → 18:00 Team Work: Project / Teams 1,2

16:30 → 18:00 Tutorials: Data Analysis / Teams 5,6

18:00 → 19:30 Team Work: Project / All teams

19:30 → 21:00 Dinner

21:00 → 23:59 Observation: Papyrus Observations / Backup

Friday 17 October

09:00 → 10:00 Team Work: Presentation of Projects / Teams 1,2,3

10:00 → 10:30 Coffee

10:30 → 11:30 Team Work: Presentation of Projects / Teams 4,5,6

11:30 → 12:00 Other: Goodbye

12:00 → 12:30 Take your lunch box

12:30 → 15:00 Other: Shuttle to MRS airport