Point spread function determination for Keck adaptive optics: overview

One of the primary scientific limitations of adaptive optics (AO) has been the incomplete knowledge of the point spread function (PSF), which has made it difficult to use AO for accurate photometry and astrometry in both crowded and sparse fields, for extracting intrinsic morphologies and spatially resolved kinematics, and for detecting faint sources in the presence of brighter sources. To address this we initiated a program to determine and demonstrate PSF determination for science observations obtained with Keck AO. This paper aims to give a broad view of the progress achieved in implementing this capability for Keck AO science observations.The concept and the implementation are briefly described. The design and development of prototype operational tools for automated PSF reconstruction is presented in detail. On-sky performance of the technique is discussed by comparing the reconstructed PSFs to the NIRC2 science camera’s PSFs. The PSF algorithm development for this program is presented in this conference in a separate paper (Jolissaint et al. 2016).