Existing and upcoming next generation
optical telescopes require highly reliable
589 nm high-power laser sources with
excellent beam quality – so-called Guide
Star Lasers – for the implementation of
adaptive optics. Under contract from the
European Southern Observatory (ESO) and
the W.M. Keck Observatory, industrial part-
ners TOPTICA Photonics and MPB Com-
munications. have jointly developed, pro-
duced and field-tested such a Guide
Star
Laser for direct integration into the ESO VLT
telescope structure and established the
new standard for this emerging field.