Current ESO active R&D projects:
- Advanced visible and infrared detectors for astronomical instrumentation (modelling, testing, development of CMOS fast detectors, curved detectors...);
- Gigahertz receivers, cryogenic first-stage amplifiers for ALMA (development & testing);
- Adaptive optics and related components including laser guide stars, deformable mirrors, wavefront sensing, tomographic techniques, interactions with segmented mirrors...;
- System simulation and modelling including deformable mirrors, telescope seeing effects, exposure time calculators, instruments, model-based system engineering;
- Optical metrology and photonics for (sub-)micrometric large structure characterisation, interferometry;
- Astrophotonics and integrated optics;
- Mechanics and cryogenics;
- Real-time computing.