Laser beacons on Mauna Kea: background articles for the Board of the Office of Mauna Kea Management

Author:

Chaffee, Fred, Mountain, Matt

Title:

Laser beacons on Mauna Kea: background articles for the Board of the Office of Mauna Kea Management

Year:

2002

Subject:

Astronomical observatories Mauna Kea management Laser guide star adaptive optics

Summary:

The use of laser beacons on shared astronomical sites such as Mauna Kea will require careful coordination. In order to insure that laser beacon technology delivers substantial science gains for the Mauna Kea observatories with minimal impact on non-laser equipped telescopes, some level of central coordination and decision making will be needed to ideally both minimize the impact of potential interference between observatories and maximize the science gains of this emerging technology. Furthermore, a protocol that assures non-laser equipped telescopes of always having pointing priority will be important to prevent interference from laser projection systems.

Collection:

Monographs