Analysis of the improvement in sky coverage for multiconjugate adaptive optics systems obtained using minimum variance split tomography

Abstract

The scientific utility of laser-guide-star-based multiconjugate adaptive optics systems depends upon high sky coverage. Previously we reported a high-fidelity sky coverage analysis of an ad hoc split tomography control algorithm and a postprocessing simulation technique. In this paper, we present the performance of a newer minimum variance split tomography algorithm, and we show that it brings a median improvement at zenith of 21 nm rms optical path difference error over the ad hoc split tomography control algorithm for our system, the Narrow Field Infrared Adaptive Optics System for the Thirty Meter Telescope. In order to make the comparison, we also validated our previously developed sky coverage postprocessing software using an integrated simulation of both high- (laser guide star) and low-order (natural guide star) loops. A new term in the noise model is also identified that improves the performance of both algorithms by more properly regularizing the reconstructor.