Opto-mechanical commissioning of the GLAS Rayleigh laser guide star for the WHT

GLAS (Ground-layer Laser Adaptive optics System) provides a Rayleigh Laser Guide Star (LGS) upgrade to the existing NAOMI AO system at the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope on La Palma. Installation of the GLAS upgrades commenced in 2006 with on-sky commissioning taking place from May 2007. Commissioning was very successful and AO correction was first observed during the August 2007 observing run. Here we present an overview of the opto-mechanical systems that have been installed and commissioned, including the LGS launch system, LGS safety systems and LGS Wave Front Sensor, concentrating on the integration of the various optical and optoelectronic components.

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