About the Project
MAVIS is a multi-conjugate adaptive optics (MCAO) visible imager and spectrograph for the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope. MAVIS will be the first visible MCAO system in the world, using a constellation of laser guide stars to deliver diffraction-limited images from the V band to the I band over a 30 arcsec field-of-view and allow integral field spectroscopy over a 3 arcsec field-of-view. This project is led by Astralis-AITC and includes AAO, INAF-Padova (Italy), INAF-Arcetri (Italy), LAM (France) and ESO (Europe).
Within the MAVIS project, AAO are responsible for the instrument, ie the imager and spectrograph, that lies behind the adaptive optics system. This instrument will use an array of precision mirrors to slice the image plane of the telescope into dual spectrograph slits. A number of spatial scales and spectral resolving powers is selectable.