First diffraction-limited astronomical images with adaptive optics

An adaptive optics prototype system has been tested at the 1.52 m telescope of the Observatoire de Haute Provence, resulting in diffraction-limited images at near infrared wavelengths (2.2 to 5 microns). This paper presents the first results and a short analysis, which demonstrate the considerable gain in resolution and sensitivity achieved by this technique. Single stars, close binary stars, and a satellite have been resolved. In some cases another star several arcseconds apart has been used as reference for the wavefront sensing.