<title>Curvature-based adaptive optics for the NASA IRTF</title>

Abstract

The IRTF is a 3.0 meter, f/38, infrared optimized, cassegrain telescope operated under contract from NASA with the primary mission of providing ground-based support for NASA's planetary missions. We are currently in the design and construction phase of a 36 element, curvature-based, natural guide star, adaptive optics facility installation for the IRTF. System architecture will be modeled on the highly successful AO systems developed at the University of Hawaii. The system should achieve an AO efficiency, q >= 0.4. The Strehl ratio is expected to exceed 0.8 in the K band. We estimate a limiting guide star magnitude for full correction of m_R equals 14.4.