Abstract
The Gemini Infrared Multi-Object Spectrograph (GIRMOS) is a powerful new instrument being built to facility- class standards for the Gemini telescope. It takes advantage of the latest developments in adaptive optics and integral field spectrographs. GIRMOS will carry out simultaneous high-angular-resolution, spatially-resolved infrared (1 - 2.4 µm) spectroscopy of four objects within a two-arcminute field-of-regard by taking advantage of multi-object adaptive optics. This capability does not currently exist anywhere in the world and therefore offers significant scientific gains over a very broad range of topics in astronomical research. For example, current programs for high redshift galaxies are pushing the limits of what is possible with infrared spectroscopy at 8 -10- meter class facilities by requiring up to several nights of observing time per target. Therefore, the observation of multiple objects simultaneously with adaptive optics is absolutely necessary to make effective use of telescope time and obtain statistically significant samples for high redshift science. With an expected commissioning date of 2023, GIRMOS's capabilities will also make it a key followup instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope when it is launched in 2021, as well as a true scientific and technical pathfinder for future Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) multi-object spectroscopic instrumentation. In this paper, we will present an overview of this instrument's capabilities and overall architecture. We also highlight how this instrument lays the ground work for a future TMT early-light instrument.

Abstract
GIRMOS is a new concept for a Multi-Object Adaptive Optics (MOAO) spectrograph for Gemini (commissioning in 2023). We present an overview of the GIRMOS-MOAO conceptual design and simulation results. This instrument will become a facility instrument at Gemini and carry out scientific follow-up for JWST, but will also act as a Thirty-Meter Telescope (TMT) pathfinder, laying the scientific and technical ground-work for developing a second generation instrument for TMT. Technical Innovations for GIRMOS include a modular, high performance MOAO system, and high throughput infrared imaging spectroscopy. These technological innovations will have the broadest impact in the study of the formation and evolution of galaxies, but will also have broad reach in fields such as star and planet formation within our Milky Way and supermassive black holes in nearby galaxies. The MOAO system will patrol the 2' field of regard of GeMS, and utilize 16×16 actuator DMs feeding 4 IFU spectrographs, to yield diffraction limited performance with a goal of 50% Strehl at H-band.

Abstract
We explore the application of phase diversity to calibrate the non common path aberrations (NCPA) in the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI). This is first investigated in simulation in order to characterize the ideal technique parameters with simulated GPI calibration source data. The best working simulation parameters are derived and we establish the algorithm's capability to recover an injected astigmatism. Furthermore, the real data appear to exhibit signs of de-centering between the in and out of focus images that are required by phase diversity; this effect can arise when the diverse images are acquired in closed loop and are close to the non-linear regime of the wavefront sensor. We show in simulation that this effect can inhibit our algorithm, which does not take into account the impact of de-centering between images. To mitigate this effect, we validate the technique of using a single diverse image with our algorithm; this is first demonstrated in simulation and then applied to the real GPI data. Following this approach, we find that we can successfully recover a known astigmatism injection using the real GPI data and subsequently apply an NCPA correction to GPI (in the format of offset reference slopes) to improve the relative Strehl ratio by 5%; we note this NCPA correction application is rudimentary and a more thorough application will be investigated in the near future. Finally, the estimated NCPA in the form of astigmatism and coma agree well with the magnitude of the same modes reported by Poyneer et al. 2016.

Abstract
As already noticed in other telescopes, the presence of large telescope spiders and of a segmented deformable mirror in an Adaptive Optics system leads to pupil fragmentation and may create phase discontinuities. On the ELT telescope, a typical effect is the differential piston, where all disconnected areas of the pupil create their own piston, unseen locally but drastically degrading the final image quality. The poor sensitivity of the Pyramid WFS to differential piston will lead to these modes been badly seen and therefore badly controlled by the adaptive optics (AO) loop. In close loop operation, differential pistons between segments will start to appear and settle around integer values of the average sensing wavelength. These additional differential pistons are artificially injected by the adaptive optics control loop but do not have any real physical origin, contrary to the Low Wind Effect. In an attempt to reduce the impact of unwanted differential pistons that are injected by the AO loop, we propose a novel approach based on the pair-wise coupling of the actuators sitting on the edges of the deformable mirror segments. In this paper, we present the correction principle, its performance in nominal seeing condition, and its robustness relative to changing seeing conditions, wind speed and natural guide star magnitude. We show that the edge actuator coupling is a simple and robust solution and that the additional quadratic error relative to the reference case (i.e. no spiders) is of only 40 nm RMS, well within the requirements for HARMONI.

Abstract
The SPHERE instrument, dedicated to high contrast imaging on VLT, has been routinely operated for more than 3 years, over a large range of conditions and producing observations from visible to NIR. A central part of the instrument is the high order adaptive optics system, named SAXO, designed to deliver high Strehl image quality with a balanced performance budget for bright stars up to magnitude R=9. We take benefit now from the very large set of observations to revisit the assumptions and analysis made at the time of the design phase: We compare the actual AO behavior as a function of expectations. The data set consists of the science detector data, for both coronagraphic images and non-coronagraphic PSF calibrations, but also of AO internal data from the high frequency sensors and statistics computations from the real-time computer which are systematically archived, and finally of environmental data, monitored at VLT level. This work is supported and made possible by the SPHERE Data Center infrastructure hosted at Grenoble which provides an efficient access and the capability for the homogeneous analysis of this large and statistically-relevant data set. We review in a statistical manner the actual AO performance as a function of external conditions for different regimes and we discuss the possible performance metrics, either derived from AO internal data or directly from the high contrast images. We quantify the dependency of the actual performance on the most relevant environmental parameters. By comparison to earlier expectations, we conclude on the reliability of the usual AO modeling. We propose some practical criteria to optimize the queue scheduling and the expression of observer requirements; finally, we revisit what could be the most important AO specifications for future high contrast imagers as a function of the primary science goals, the targets and the turbulence properties.

Abstract
Scientific exploitation in ground-based astronomy is improved thanks to adaptive optics (AO) that restore diffraction-limit angular resolution. Besides, the ultimate data interpretation is delivered by post-processing techniques that usually relies on a Point spread function (PSF) model. Nevertheless, existing methods to constrain this model based on standard pipeline encounter the spatial and time variations of the AO PSF. In order to improve accuracy on key science observables, such as photometry and astrometry, alternative methods are investigated, such as PSF reconstruction (PSF-R), designed to estimate the PSF from AO control-loop data and key atmosphere and system parameters. We aim in this paper at retrieving directly these relevant inputs we need to reconstruct the PSF using an hybrid approach, that couples AO telemetry with focal plane images, named as Focal plane profiling and reconstruction (FPPR). It adjusts atmosphere parameters (the C2n (h) profile) and optical gains in the system. We describe the FPPR method that is applied to on-sky Keck images in engineering mode operated with either natural or laser guide star and show we get 1% of accuracy on respectively the Strehl-ratio and the PSF FWHM reconstruction.