GeMS, the path toward AO facility

Abstract

GeMS, the Gemini South MCAO System, has now been in regular operation since mid-2013 with the imager instrument GSAOI. We review the performance obtained during this past year as well as some of its current limitations. While in operation, GeMS is still evolving to push them back and is currently in the path of receiving two major upgrades which will allow new exciting science cases: a new natural guide star wavefront sensor called NGS2 and a replacement of the current 50W laser. We are also actively moving along the path of further deeper integration with the future AO-fed instruments, we present our first preliminary results of astrometric and spectrometric calibrations with diverse Gemini instruments using an internal calibration source. We finally report our efforts to make GeMS a more robust instrument with the integration of a vibration rejection feature and a more user-friendly AO system as well with advanced gain optimization automatization. Show more