Design and Prototype of a High Order Adaptive Optics System for University of Canterbury's 0.61m Boller & Chivens Telescope

Atmospheric turbulence generates wavefront distortions in light rays from distant sources, thus reducing the resolution of astronomical images. Adaptive Optics (AO) systems enhance telescopes' imaging capabilities by compensating for these aberrations in real time. This paper presents the design and laboratory prototyping of a high-order AO system intended for the University of Canterbury's 0.61 m Boller & Chivens (B&C) Telescope. The AO system incorporates a <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$12 \times 12$</tex> actuator Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems Deformable Mirror to simulate atmospheric conditions and static aberration screens, and a Thorlabs DM and Shack-Hartmann Wavefront Sensor for closed loop correction. The system was tested in the laboratory under simulated atmospheric conditions, with a focus on correcting higher-order aberrations, such as defocus and astigmatism. Experimental results demonstrate significant improvements in the Full Width at Half Maximum of the Point Spread Function, indicating the system's potential for improving image quality. The prototype's design allows for simple integration with the B&C Telescope, paving the way for its future implementation at the University of Canterbury's Mount John Observatory.