SodiumStar
Guide star laser
Create your own star
SodiumStar
Guide star laser
The SodiumStar system is a high-power “guide star” laser designed for adaptive optics control in ground-based telescopes. It is based on resonant frequency doubling of an infrared DFB diode laser with subsequent Raman fiber amplifier. High powers are attained at the sodium wavelength of 589 nm, with a spectral width of 5 MHz.
The SodiumStar and its team have been rewarded with the 2016 Laser Research Innovation Award presented by the Berthold Leibinger Stiftung and the 2017 Paul F. Forman Team Engineering Excellence Award of the Optical Society of America.
For more information visit the website of TOPTICA PROJECTS.
Your Benefits
Low spectral bleaching
Frequency chirping to mitigate spectral bleaching.
Reducing saturation
Linewidth-broadening for saturation mitigation.
Fully integrated turn-key system
In fact, the first commercial off-the-shelf sodium guide star laser for astronomical adaptive optics.
Proven track record
Commissioned and in science operation e.g. at ESO’s Very Large Telescope and Keck Observatory.
Options
Medium power
The DL RFA SHG pro, a modified, sub MHz linewidth version with moderate power is available for laser cooling of sodium.
Higher power
Higher output power than ever before, alongside additional options that increase the achievable return flux, enable high speed adaptive optics, observations at visible wavelengths, and daytime observations.
Related Products
Downloads
Literature
Articles
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First Light for ESO’s Four Laser Guide Star Facility
Domenico Bonaccini Calia, Wilhelm Kaenders in Optics & Photonics News (2016)
Papers
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Series Production of Next-Generation Guide-Star Lasers at TOPTICA and MPBC
Martin Enderlein et al. -
Robust Remote-Pumping Sodium Laser for advanced LIDAR and Guide Star Applications
Bernhard Ernstberger et al.