The Sloan Digital Sky Survey V (SDSS-V) is pioneering panoptic spectroscopy: it is the first all-sky, multiepoch, optical-to-infrared spectroscopic survey. SDSS-V is mapping the sky with multiobject spectroscopy (MOS) at telescopes in both hemispheres (the 2.5 m Sloan Foundation Telescope at Apache Point Observatory and the 100-inch du Pont Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory), where 500 zonal robotic fiber positioners feed light from a wide-field focal plane to an optical (R similar to 2000, 500 fibers) and a near-infrared (R similar to 22,000, 300 fibers) spectrograph. In addition to these MOS capabilities, the survey is pioneering ultra-wide-field (similar to 4000 deg(2)) integral field spectroscopy enabled by a new dedicated facility (LVM-I) at Las Campanas Observatory, where an integral field spectrograph (IFS) with 1801 lenslet-coupled fibers arranged in a 0 degrees.5-diameter hexagon feeds multiple R similar to 4000 optical spectrographs that cover 3600-9800 angstrom. SDSS-V's hardware and multiyear survey strategy are designed to decode the chemodynamical history of the Milky Way and tackle fundamental open issues in stellar physics in its Milky Way Mapper program, trace the growth physics of supermassive black holes in its Black Hole Mapper program, and understand the self-regulation mechanisms and the chemical enrichment of galactic ecosystems at the energy injection scale in its Local Volume Mapper program. The survey is well timed to multiply the scientific output from major all-sky space missions. The SDSS-V MOS programs began robotic operations in 2021; IFS observations began in 2023 with the completion of the LVM-I facility. SDSS-V builds on decades of heritage of SDSS's pioneering advances in data analysis, collaboration spirit, infrastructure, and product deliverables in astronomy.

The Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) ([1]) Observatory pioneered Adaptive Optics (AO) technologies such as Adaptive Secondary Mirror (ASM)([2]), Pyramid wavefront sensor([3]), and Ground-layer AO using Rayleigh lasers([4]) at 8-10 m class telescopes. We have initiated an effort to turn LBT AO into a facility-class capability. The effort involves (1) building an AO team with AO development capability, (2) improving the robustness of the AO, (3) developing in-house AO expertise to maintain and troubleshoot the AO systems, (4) automating processes for efficient on-sky operation, (5) tracking performance metrics and cultivating accountability for on-sky AO performance, and (6) minimizing the operational risks for the ASMs. We present the status of these developments. LBTO continues its efforts to develop innovative technology. We explore the next phase of AO developments, including Agile Extreme Adaptive Optics (AgXAO) on the DX side of the LINC-NIRVANA([5][6]) optical bench to overcome the limitation imposed by varying and large atmospheric seeing at Mount Graham. AgXAO implementation includes the development of (1) a high-order, high-sensitivity wavefront sensor, (2) a high-density deformable mirror with 3000 actuators and next-generation ASM with about 950 actuators, (3) active optics integration, (4) vibration and wavefront piston control, (5) atmospheric turbulence measurements and weather forecast integration, and (6) a visible camera and an AO-corrected narrow-field fiber-coupled IFU spectrograph using one of the existing workhorse visible spectrographs. Developing AgXAO on the SX side, too, would enable Fizeau imaging in the visible wavelengths. AgXAO will also serve as a general-purpose high-contrast (and subsequently a Fizeau imaging) Testbed on LBT to test advanced wavefront control algorithms, including astrophotonics experiments, and machine learning algorithms with minimal impact on routine science operations. We propose developing AgXAO through student projects to train the next-generation scientists and engineers for the extremely large telescope (ELT) era. The ultimate goal is to push large aperture ground-based telescopes to their performance limits and make them competitive with space telescopes in terms of PSF stability and performance to enable breakthrough science.

We present the Sloan Digital Sky Survey V Local Volume Mapper (LVM). The LVM is an integral-field spectroscopic survey of the Milky Way, Magellanic Clouds, and a sample of local volume galaxies, connecting resolved parsec-scale individual sources of feedback to kiloparsec-scale ionized interstellar medium (ISM) properties. The 4 yr survey covers the southern Milky Way disk at spatial resolutions of 0.05-1 pc, the Magellanic Clouds at 10 pc resolution, and nearby large galaxies at larger scales totaling >4300 deg(2) of sky and more than 55M spectra. It utilizes a new facility of alt-alt mounted siderostats feeding 16 cm refractive telescopes, lenslet-coupled fiber optics, and spectrographs covering 3600-9800 & Aring; at R similar to 4000. The ultra-wide-field integral-field unit has a diameter of 05 with 1801 hexagonally packed fibers of 353 apertures. The siderostats allow for a completely stationary fiber system, avoiding instability of the line-spread function seen in traditional fiber feeds. Scientifically, LVM resolves the regions where energy, momentum, and chemical elements are injected into the ISM at the scale of gas clouds, while simultaneously charting where energy is being dissipated (via cooling, shocks, turbulence, bulk flows, etc.) to global scales. This combined local and global view enables us to constrain physical processes regulating how stellar feedback operates and couples to galactic kinematics and disk-scale structures, such as the bar and spiral arms, as well as gas in- and outflows.

This paper presents an overview of the SDSS-V Local Volume Mapper (LVM) telescope system. LVM is one of three surveys that form the fifth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and it employs a coordinated network of four, 16cm telescopes feeding three fiber spectrographs at the Las Campanas Observatory. The goal is to spectrally map more than 4000 square degrees of the Galactic plane with 37" spatial resolution and R similar to 4000 spectral resolution over the wavelength range 360-980 nm. This corresponds to roughly 50 million individual spectra, which will reveal how distinct gaseous environments within our Galaxy interact with the stellar population, producing the large-scale interstellar medium that we observe. Accurately mapping and calibrating a substantial portion of the sky in this way requires a unique type of telescope. Each of the four units consists of a two-mirror siderostat in alt-alt configuration feeding an optical breadboard. This produces a fixed, stable focal plane for the fiber IFU and bundle. One telescope hosts the science IFU, while two others observe adjacent dark fields to calibrate geocoronal emission. The fourth telescope makes rapid observations of bright stars to compensate telluric absorption. The entrance slits of the spectrographs intersperse the fibers from all three types of telescope, producing truly simultaneous science and calibration exposures. After roughly four years of design, development, construction, testing, and commissioning, the LVM telescopes entered regular survey operations in late 2023. We summarize the entire LVM telescope project, from input scientific requirements to the actual performance achieved on-sky.

This paper presents the Local Volume Mapper (LVM) telescope system. LVM is one of three surveys that form the fifth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-V), and it employs a coordinated network of four, 16 cm diameter telescopes feeding integral field units (IFUs) leading to three fiber spectrographs. One telescope hosts the science IFU, while two others observe adjacent fields to calibrate geocoronal emission. The fourth telescope makes rapid observations of bright stars to compensate for telluric absorption. The entrance slits of the spectrographs intersperse the fibers from all three types of telescope, producing truly simultaneous science and calibration exposures. We describe the final design of the telescope system and report on its construction, alignment and testing in the laboratory, as well as the integration, testing, commissioning, and actual on-sky performance at Las Campanas Observatory.

Sloan Digital Sky Survey fifth-generation (SDSS-V) Local Volume Mapper (LVM) is a wide-field IFU survey that uses an array of four 160 mm telescopes. It provides IFU spectra over the optical range with R ∼ 4,000 to reveal the inner components of galaxies and the evolution of the universe. Each telescope observes the science field or the calibration field independently, but all of them should be simultaneously synchronized with the science exposure. To minimize the moving parts, the LVM adopted the siderostat design with a field derotator. We designed the optimized control software for our LVM observation, lvmagp, which controls four focusers, three K-mirror derotators, one fiber selector, four mounts (siderostats), and seven guide cameras. It was built on its owen user interface and messaging protocol called actor and clu based on asynchronous programming. The lvmagp provides three key sequences: autofocus sequence, field acquisition sequence, and autoguide sequence. Also, we designed and fabricated the proto-model siderostat for the software test. The real sky test was made with proto-model siderostat, and the lvmagp showed arcsecond-level field acquisition and autoguide accuracy.

This paper presents an update on the construction, testing, and commissioning of the SDSS-V Local Volume Mapper (LVM) telescope system. LVM is one of three surveys that form the fifth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and it will employ a coordinated network of four, 16-cm telescopes feeding three fiber spectrographs at the Las Campanas Observatory. The goal is to spectrally map approximately 2500 square degrees of the Galactic plane with 37” spatial resolution and R~4000 spectral resolution over the wavelength range 360-980 nm. LVM will also target the Magellanic Clouds and other Local Group galaxies. Each of the four LVM telescopes consists of a two-mirror siderostat in alt-alt configuration feeding an optical breadboard. This produces a fixed, stable focal plane for the fiber-based Integral Field Unit (IFU). One telescope hosts the science IFU, while two others observe adjacent fields to calibrate geocoronal emission. The fourth telescope makes rapid observations of bright stars to compensate telluric absorption. The entrance slits of the spectrographs intersperse the fibers from all three types of telescope, producing truly simultaneous science and calibration exposures. We summarize the final design of the telescope system and report on its construction, alignment and testing in the laboratory. We also describe our deployment plan for commissioning at LCO, anticipated for late 2022.

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey V (SDSS-V) is an all-sky spectroscopic survey of <6 million objects, designed to decode the history of the Milky Way, reveal the inner working of the stars, investigate the origin of solar systems, and track the growth of supermassive black holes across the Universe. The Local Volume Mapper (LVM) is one of three surveys that form SDSS-V, and it consists of four telescopes optimized for broad visible-wavelength coverage of 360-980 nm feeding three fiber-fed R∼4000 spectrographs. Each telescope comprises a siderostat and an optical table that hosts powered refracting optics in a triplet configuration, hardware for image de-rotation, image acquisition and guiding systems, and a focal plane assembly. The optical design of LVM balances the science requirements for broad wavelength coverage and spaxel size with the focal ratio imposed by the spectrograph fibers and microlenses. Initial design was completed and optimized in Zemax OpticStudio software. The resulting lenses were fabricated by a vendor and assembled at Carnegie Observatories. Final testing will be on-sky at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile during commissioning in 2022. The assembly process includes bonding of the triplet lenses using Dow Corning SYLGARD 184 Silicone Elastomer (“Sylgard 184”) and mounting in a cell that travels on a motorized focusing stage on the optical table. We present details of the Sylgard 184 bonding process, a basic bonding procedure, recovery from a stress feature in two bonds, and removal of Sylgard during imperfect applications.

Context. T Tauri has long been the prototypical young pre-main-sequence star. However, with increasing resolution and sensitivity, T Tauri has now been decomposed into a triple system with a complex disk and outflow geometry. Aims. We aim to measure the brightness of all three components of the T Tauri system (T Tau N, T Tau Sa, and T Tau Sb) in the mid-infrared in order to obtain photometry around the ∼9.7 μm silicate feature. This allows us to study their variability and to investigate the distribution of dust and the geometry of circumstellar and circumbinary disks in this complex system. Methods. We observe the T Tauri system with the Very Large Telescope (VLT)/VISIR-NEAR instrument, performing diffraction-limited imaging in the mid-infrared. With kernel phase interferometry post-processing of the data, and using the astrometric positions of all three components from VLT/SPHERE, we measure the three components’ individual brightnesses (including the southern binary at an angular separation down to ∼0.2λ/D) and obtain their photometry. In order to validate our methods, we simulate and recover mock data of the T Tauri system using the observed reference point-spread function of HD 27639. Results. We find that T Tau N is rather stable and shows weak silicate emission, while T Tau Sa is highly variable and shows prominent silicate absorption. T Tau Sb became significantly fainter compared to data from 2004 and 2006, suggesting increased extinction by dust. The precision of our photometry is limited by systematic errors in kernel phase interferometry, which is consistent with previous studies using this technique. Conclusions. Our results confirm the complex scenario of misaligned disks in the T Tauri system that had been observed previously, and they are in agreement with the recently observed dimming of T Tau Sb in the near-infrared. Our mid-infrared photometry supports the interpretation that T Tau Sb has moved behind the dense region of the Sa-Sb circumbinary disk on its tight orbit around Sa, therefore suffering increased extinction.

LINC-NIRVANA at the LBT has a dual MCAO system using solely natural guide stars. A multi pyramid WFS provides the slopes to close two independent loops for ground and high layer correction, as foreseen by the Layer Oriented scheme. The projection of the deformable mirrors actuators pattern on the WFS cameras rotates, since mechanical (ground) and optical (high) derotation provides the field rotation correction needed to keep the WFS on the reference stars. We reported in the previous conferences that we succeed in obtaining valid control matrices through numerical interpolation of a few calibrated interaction matrices registered for different clocking angle. We successfully tested a different approach based on a synthetic WFS and DM model. We proved that control matrices computed by the inversion of the interaction matrices generated from the model were effectively working on the real system closing high-order correction loop on the sky, providing better performance.

Analysing greenhouse gas emissions of an astronomical institute is a first step to reducing its environmental impact. Here, we break down the emissions of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg and propose measures for reductions.

T Tauri remains an enigmatic triple star for which neither the evolutionary state of the stars themselves, nor the geometry of the complex outflow system is completely understood. Eight-meter class telescopes equipped with state-of-the-art adaptive optics provide the spatial resolution necessary to trace tangential motion of features over a timescale of a few years, and they help to associate them with the different outflows. We used J-, H-, and K-band high-contrast coronagraphic imaging with VLT-SPHERE recorded between 2016 and 2018 to map reflection nebulosities and obtain high precision near-infrared (NIR) photometry of the triple star. We also present molecular hydrogen emission maps of the 1-0 S(1) line at 2.122 micron obtained with LBT-LUCI during its commissioning period at the end of 2016. The data reveal a number of new features in the system, some of which are seen in reflected light and some are seen in H2 emission; furthermore, they can all be associated with the main outflows. The tangential motion of the features provides compelling evidence that T Tauri Sb drives the southeast-northwest outflow. T Tauri Sb has recently faded probably because of increased extinction as it passes through the southern circumbinary disk. While T Tauri Sb is approaching periastron, T Tauri Sa instead has brightened and is detected in all our J-band imagery for the first time.

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey V (SDSS-V) is an all-sky spectroscopic survey of <6 million objects, designed to decode the history of the Milky Way, reveal the inner workings of stars, investigate the origin of solar systems, and track the growth of supermassive black holes across the Universe. The Local Volume Mapper (LVM) is one of three surveys that form SDSS-V. LVM will employ a coordinated system of four telescopes feeding three fiber spectrographs at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. The goal is to map approximately 2500 square degrees of the Galactic plane over the wavelength range 360-980 nm with R~4000 spectral resolution. These observations will reveal for the first time how distinct gaseous environments within the Galaxy interact with each other and with the stellar population, producing the large-scale interstellar medium that we observe. Accurately mapping and calibrating a substantial portion of the sky at this spatial resolution requires a unique type of telescope system. Each of the four LVM telescopes has a diameter of 16 cm, making them considerably smaller and lighter than the instruments they feed. One telescope will host the science IFU containing ~1800 fibers arranged in a close-packed hexagon. Two additional Calibration telescopes will observe fields adjacent to the science IFU, in order to calibrate out terrestrial airglow and other geo-coronal emission. The fourth, Spectrophotometric telescope will make rapid observations of bright stars (typically 12 during a single IFU / Calibration exposure) to correct for telluric absorption lines and overall extinction. The fibers from all three types of telescope will be interspersed in the entrance slits of the spectrographs, allowing for simultaneous science and calibration exposures. Although considerably smaller than the next generation of giants, the LVM telescopes must also operate close to the limits of physical optics, and the geometry and scope of the LVM survey present unique challenges. For example, with this type of telescope at the Las Campanas site, the effects of optical aberrations, diffraction, seeing, and (uncorrected) atmospheric dispersion are all of comparable scale. This, coupled with the need for repeated and reliable measurements over years, leads to some unconventional design choices. This paper presents the preliminary design of the LVM telescope system and discusses the requirements and tradeoffs that led to the baseline choices.

Aims. T Tauri remains an enigmatic triple star for which neither the evolutionary state of the stars themselves, nor the geometry of the complex outflow system is completely understood. Eight-meter class telescopes equipped with state-of-the-art adaptive optics provide the spatial resolution necessary to trace tangential motion of features over a timescale of a few years, and they help to associate them with the different outflows. Methods. We used J -, H -, and K -band high-contrast coronagraphic imaging with VLT-SPHERE recorded between 2016 and 2018 to map reflection nebulosities and obtain high precision near-infrared (NIR) photometry of the triple star. We also present H 2 emission maps of the ν = 1-0 S(1) line at 2.122 μ m obtained with LBT-LUCI during its commissioning period at the end of 2016. Results. The data reveal a number of new features in the system, some of which are seen in reflected light and some are seen in H 2 emission; furthermore, they can all be associated with the main outflows. The tangential motion of the features provides compelling evidence that T Tauri Sb drives the southeast–northwest outflow. T Tauri Sb has recently faded probably because of increased extinction as it passes through the southern circumbinary disk. While Sb is approaching periastron, T Tauri Sa instead has brightened and is detected in all our J -band imagery for the first time.

LINC–NIRVANA (LN) is a MCAO module currently mounted on the Rear Bent Gregorian focus of the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). It mounts a camera originally design to realize the interferometric imaging focal station of the LBT. LN follows the LBT strategy having two twin channels: a double Layer Oriented multi-conjugate adaptive optics system assists the two arms, supplying high order wave-front correction. In order to counterbalance the field rotation a mechanical derotation is applied for the two ground wave-front sensors, and an optical (K-mirror) one for the two high layers sensors, fixing the positions of the focal planes with respect to the pyramids aboard the wavefront sensors. The derotation introduces a pupil images rotation on the wavefront sensors changing the projection of the deformable mirrors on the sensor consequently. The soft real-time computer load the matrix corresponding to the needed at one degree step. Calibrations were performed in daytime only and using optical fibers.

We have tested and confirmed the proper functioning of our solution to the MCAO partial illumination issue in the context of the LINC-NIRVANA (LN) MCAO module, both in the laboratory and on-sky. We present the results in this paper. Availability of direct AO-telemetry for individual layers from the LN MCAO system can be potentially used to improve not only the stability of the independent AO loops, but also the wavefront sensor efficiency. We introduce this idea, called “wind-predictive wavefront control."

After Earth’s origin, our host star, the Sun, was shining 20–25% less brightly than today. Without greenhouselike conditions to warm the atmosphere, our early planet would have been an ice ball, and life may never have evolved. But life did evolve, which indicates that greenhouse gases must have been present on early Earth to warm the planet. Evidence from the geological record indicates an abundance of the greenhouse gas CO2. CH4 was probably present as well; and, in this regard, methanogenic bacteria, which belong to a diverse group of anaerobic prokaryotes that ferment CO2 plus H2 to CH4, may have contributed to modification of the early atmosphere. Molecular oxygen was not present, as is indicated by the study of rocks from that era, which contain iron carbonate rather than iron oxide. Multicellular organisms originated as cells within colonies that became increasingly specialized. The development of photosynthesis allowed the Sun’s energy to be harvested directly by life-forms. The resultant oxygen accumulated in the atmosphere and formed the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere. Aided by the absorption of harmful UV radiation in the ozone layer, life colonized Earth’s surface. Our own planet is a very good example of how life-forms modified the atmosphere over the planets’ lifetime. We show that these facts have to be taken into account when we discover and characterize atmospheres of Earth-like exoplanets. If life has originated and evolved on a planet, then it should be expected that a strong co-evolution occurred between life and the atmosphere, the result of which is the planet’s climate.

This paper reports on the installation and initial commissioning of LINC-NIRVANA (LN), an innovative high resolution, near-infrared imager for the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). We present the delicate and difficult installation procedure, the culmination of a re-integration campaign that was in full swing at the last SPIE meeting. We also provide an update on the ongoing commissioning campaigns, including our recent achievement of First Light. Finally, we discuss lessons learned from the shipment and installation of a large complex instrument.