ALFA is the Adaptive optics with a Laser For Astronomy system for the Calar Alto 3.5-m telescope.

ALFA is a joint project between the MPIA in Heidelberg and the Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE) in Garching.

ALFA is a system which dramatically improves the image resolution in the near-infrared regime. Diffraction limited images at 2.2 microns obtained with ALFA have a higher angular resolution than those obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope.

ALFA is based on a Shack-Hartmann sensor with a high-speed low-noise CCD camera, a 97-actuator deformable mirror, a tip-tilt mirror, and a continuous Ar-Ion laser pumped dye laser which generates the laser beacon in the sodium layer of the Earth's mesosphere.

ALFA has been successfully used with the near-infrared NICMOS 3 camera MAGIC, the imaging near-infrared Spectrometer 3D, and the optical CCD camera of CHARM. Since September 1997 the new near-infrared camera OMEGA-CASS with a 1024x1024 pixel (HAWAII) detector is the standard science instrument for ALFA.

ALFA publications and commissioning/science results.

ALFA movies, staff, links, and performance.

Applying for observing time.

The ALFA successor PARSEC is in operation.

Last updated: August, 7, 2007 by Stefan Hippler