RAMA: A new agile AO bench for the telescope FEELINGS
Abstract
The ground-based observation of extended objects such as satellites suffer from severe atmospheric propagation constraints. Specifically, high tracking velocities and low-elevation lines of sight generate non-stationary turbulence alongside strong scintillation. Developing robust wavefront control strategies is therefore critical to maintain stable observations. In this context, we present RAMA, an adaptive optics (AO) testbench deployed on ONERA's 60\,cm FEELINGS telescope. Designed as a pathfinder for future systems like the PROVIDENCE ground station, RAMA evaluates a visible, non-modulated Pyramid Wavefront Sensor (PWFS). The hardware baseline also includes two pupil-conjugated deformable mirrors (DM97 and DM192) driven by the DAO Real-Time Computer (RTC). Inheriting the modular and evolving philosophy of the PAPYRUS project, the bench provides a flexible environment to test new components on-sky and allows for direct comparisons between classical controllers and advanced, data-driven strategies. By implementing Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) for phase reconstruction and Reinforcement Learning (RL) for loop control, RAMA aims to overcome the specific limitations associated with scintillation and extended-object observations. This paper details the opto-mechanical design, numerical simulations of the bench expected wavefont control performance, preliminary laboratory closed-loop results and the first on-sky optical coupling with the telescope.
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BibTeX
@misc{pasinetti2026rama,
title = {{RAMA: A new agile AO bench for the telescope FEELINGS}},
author = {Matteo Pasinetti and Rodrigo Andres Munoz Gomez and Benjamin Andres Gonzalez Barraza and Francisco Oyarzun and Sylvain Cetre and Jean-François Sauvage and Axel Vincent-Randonnier and Julien Charton and Marie Laslandes and Roméo Roudeix and Nicolas Védrenne and Cyril Petit and Pierre-Louis Mayeur and Esteban Vera Rojas and Andrew Reeves and Perrine Lognoné and Morgan Gray and Thierry Fusco and Benoit Neichel},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.16422},
eprint = {2609.16422},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.16422},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - RAMA: A new agile AO bench for the telescope FEELINGS
AU - Matteo Pasinetti
AU - Rodrigo Andres Munoz Gomez
AU - Benjamin Andres Gonzalez Barraza
AU - Francisco Oyarzun
AU - Sylvain Cetre
AU - Jean-François Sauvage
AU - Axel Vincent-Randonnier
AU - Julien Charton
AU - Marie Laslandes
AU - Roméo Roudeix
AU - Nicolas Védrenne
AU - Cyril Petit
AU - Pierre-Louis Mayeur
AU - Esteban Vera Rojas
AU - Andrew Reeves
AU - Perrine Lognoné
AU - Morgan Gray
AU - Thierry Fusco
AU - Benoit Neichel
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/14
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.16422
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.16422
AB - The ground-based observation of extended objects such as satellites suffer from severe atmospheric propagation constraints. Specifically, high tracking velocities and low-elevation lines of sight generate non-stationary turbulence alongside strong scintillation. Developing robust wavefront control strategies is therefore critical to maintain stable observations. In this context, we present RAMA, an adaptive optics (AO) testbench deployed on ONERA's 60\,cm FEELINGS telescope. Designed as a pathfinder for future systems like the PROVIDENCE ground station, RAMA evaluates a visible, non-modulated Pyramid Wavefront Sensor (PWFS). The hardware baseline also includes two pupil-conjugated deformable mirrors (DM97 and DM192) driven by the DAO Real-Time Computer (RTC). Inheriting the modular and evolving philosophy of the PAPYRUS project, the bench provides a flexible environment to test new components on-sky and allows for direct comparisons between classical controllers and advanced, data-driven strategies. By implementing Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) for phase reconstruction and Reinforcement Learning (RL) for loop control, RAMA aims to overcome the specific limitations associated with scintillation and extended-object observations. This paper details the opto-mechanical design, numerical simulations of the bench expected wavefont control performance, preliminary laboratory closed-loop results and the first on-sky optical coupling with the telescope.
ER -