Research

I currently work in the Optics Group at the Institute of Astronomy under the supervision of Professor Craig Mackay. My work is focussed on the development of a wavefront curvature sensor to be in the low order adaptive optics system in Adaptive Optics Lucky Imager (AOLI).

My current work focuses on generating simulated data which can be used to test curvature wavefront sensor systems. This work includes the use of Arroyo to generate simulated data which is almost complete with a few to moving on to the testing of multiple algorithms for the system. Due to the iterative methods used in the determination of the wavefront distortions, GPUs are likely to be used in this algorithm process.

The low order AO system for AOLI comprised two EMCCDs for pupil plane imaging, a real time control system including the phase determination algorithm and initially a 97 element deformable mirror from ALPAO. The entire project is a collaboration between multiple research institutions across Europe including:

• Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, UK
• Instiuto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC), Tenerife, Spain
• Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes, La Palma, Spain
• Technical University of Caragena (UPCT), Spain
• University of Cologne, Germany

Selected papers

Crass, J., Aisher, P., Femenia, B., King, D.L., Mackay, C.D. et al, "The AOLI low-order non-linear curvature wavefront sensor: a method for high sensitivity wavefront reconstruction", Proc SPIE 8447 (2012)

Qualifications

MPhys (1st Class with Honours) - Physics with Astrophysics, University of Manchester - 2010 (3rd year - University of California Santa Barbara, USA)

Awards and Prizes

EIROforum School on Instrumentation, May 2011 - Best Poster Award

Professional Organisations

Institute of Physics, Associate Member

Fellow, Cambridge Philosophical Society

Fellow, Royal Astronomical Society