IAC Colloquium today by Almudena Prieto; Thursday May 14 2026, 10:30
Seminarios del IAC
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
IAC seminars
Science in the Spanish community with Adaptive Optics in GTC: the power of FRIDA
Dr. Almudena Prieto (IAC)Thursday May 14 2026, 10:30 GMT+1 (Aula) - Live streaming Zoom link
The implementation of Adaptive Optics at the GTC, combined with the science instrument FRIDA -- an imager and integral field spectrograph operating in the near-infrared —- represents a factor of 10 to 15 improvement in angular resolution compared to current or planned GTC instruments. These resolutions are still a factor of 1.5 to 4 better than those achieved by the finest space telescopes, JWST and HST. This presentation highlights the imminent realisation of these capabilities at the GTC and the unique scientific opportunities enabled by the GTC+AO+FRIDA combination. To this end, I will outline possible science pathways that are uniquely possible with GTC+AO+FRIDA, ranging from stellar surface mapping to studies of the Local Group at the finest spatial scales and the high-redshift Universe.
More talks at https://iactalks.iac.es