Robo-Ao: Initial Results From The First Autonomous Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics Instrument

Large surveys are discovering thousands of objects which require further characterization at high angular resolution. The demands on space-based observatories and large telescopes with AO systems leave them generally unavailable for large high angular resolution surveys. To address this gap, we have developed Robo-AO, the first robotic laser AO system, as an economical and efficient imaging instrument for 1-3 m class telescopes. Observations of over 200 stellar objects per night have routinely been performed, with target-to target observation overheads of less than 1.5 minutes. Scientific programs of several thousands of targets can be executed in mere weeks, and Robo-AO has already completed the three largest AO surveys to date.