Wavefront reconstruction algorithms and simulation results for multiconjugate adaptive optics on giant telescopes

The very high-order multi-conjugate adaptive optics (MCAO) systems proposed for future giant telescopes will require new, computationally efficient, concepts for wavefront reconstruction. Advanced methods from computational linear algebra have recently been applied to this problem, and explicit simulations of MCAO wavefront reconstruction problems for 30-meter class telescopes are now possible using desktop personal computers. In this paper, we present sample simulation results obtained using these techniques to illustrate the trends in MCAO performance as the telescope aperture diameter increases from 8 to 32 meters. We consider systems based upon natural guidestars, sodium laser guidestars, and Rayleigh laser guidestars. The performance achieved by the first two classes of guidestars is similar, and the variation in their performance with respect to telescope size is very gradual over this range of aperture diameters. Next, we describe work in progress to adapt the minimum variance reconstruction algorithm, which is optimized for open-loop wavefront estimation, to the more realistic and meaningful case of closed-loop wavefront control. Finally, we summarize the current status of efforts to quantify the impact of sodium laser guide star (LGS) elongation on guidestar signal requirements for LGS AO systems on 30 meter class telescopes.