ADC

Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector or Analog to Digital Converter  (Depends on context)

ADI

Angular Differential Imaging

AEOS

Advanced Electro-Optical System (USAF Telescope on Maui)

AGB

Asymptotic Giant Branch

ALMA

Atacama Large Millimeter Array

ATEUI

Acceptance Test and Engineering User Interface

ALTAIR

ALTitude-conjugate Adaptive optics for the InfraRed

AMNH

American Museum of Natural History

AO

Adaptive Optics

AOC

Adaptive Optics Computer

API

Application Programming Interface

APLC

Apodized Pupil Lyot Coronagraph

AR

Anti Reflection (coating for tranmissive elements)

AU

Astronomical Unit (1.495 X 10¹¹ m)

ATP

Acceptance and Test Plan

AURA

Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy

CAL

Calibration Subsystem

CANOPUS

The optical bench and associated electronics. Everything that is within the box attached to the ISS. Other subsystems of GeMS include the BTO (Beam Transfer Optics), the laser and LSE (Laser Service Enclosure) and the LLT (Laser Launch Telescope).

CCB

Change Control Board

CCIT

Coherent Communications, Imaging and Targeting

CCC

Closed Cycle Coolor (CCR)

CCR

Closed Cycle Refrigerator (CCC)

CDR

Critical Design Review

CEH

Command Event Handler (GPI interface to GIAPI)

CfAO

Center for Adaptive Optics

CFHT

Canada France Hawaii Telescope

CGS

Centimeter gram second system of units

CoDR

Conceptual Design Review

CoPI

Co-Principal Investigator

CoPM

Co-Project Manager

COR

Coronagraph

CP

Cerro Pachon

CVNDF

Continuously Variable Neutral Density Filter

CWS

Cold Working Surface

d

Subaperture size projected on the primary mirror (18 cm for GPI)

D

Telescope primary mirror diameter (8.0 m for Gemini)

DAC

Digital to Analog Convertor

DAR

Differential Atmospheric Refraction

DARPA

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

DD

Double (image) difference

DHS

Data Handling System

DM

Deformable Mirror

DMS

Document Management system

DRP

Data Reduction Pipeline

EFS

External Frame Structure

EPICS

Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System

ESO

European Southern Observatory

ESO VLT

European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope

EXAOC

Extreme Adaptive Optics Coronagraph (original name for GPI)

FDRP

Final Data Reduction Pipeline

FEA

Finite Element Analysis

FITS

Flexible Image Transport System

FOV

Field Of View

FPRD

Functional and Performance Requirements Document

FPM

Focal Plane Mask

FSM

Fine Steering Mirror

FSS

Flexure Sensitive Structure

FTR

Fourier Transform wavefront Reconstructor

FWHM

Full Width at Half Maximum

GCAL

Gemini Facility Calibration Unit

GDSN

Gemini Data Storage network

GeMS

Gemini MCAO System

GLAO

Ground Layer Adaptive Optics

GMOS

Gemini Multi Object Spectrograph

GMP

Gemini Master Process

GPI

Gemini Planet Imager

GPOL

Gemini Polarization module (obsolete)

GSAOI

Gemini South Adaptive Optics Imager

HCIT

High Contrast Imaging Test bed

HEBS

High Energy Beam Sensitive

HIA

Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics

HL

High Level

ICD

Interface Control Document

ICS

Instrument Control System

IDL

Image Display Language (RSI Inc.)

IFS

Integral Field Spectrograph

IMF

Initial Mass Function

INO

Institut Nationale d'Optique

IR

Infrared-Red

IRAS

Infra-Red Astronomy Satellite

ISS

Instrument Support Structure

IWD

Inner Working Distance

JPL

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

JWST

James Webb Space Telescope

LAN

Local Area Network

LAO

Laboratory for Adaptive Optics

LLNL

Lawrence Livermore National Lab

mas

milli-arcsec (4.848 nanoradian)

M1

Gemini primary mirror

M2

Gemini secondary mirror

M3

Gemini Tertiary (or science fold mirror)

MCD

Motion Control Daemon

MEMS

Micro Electro-Mechanical System

MJ

Mass of Jupiter (1.8988 X 10²⁷ kg)

MK

Mauna Kea

MWBS

Multi-Wavelength Beam Splitter

MWI

Multi-Wavelength Imager

N

Number of subapertures across the primary mirror (44 for GPI)

NCP

Non-Common Path

NDR

Non-Destructive Read

NIRC2

Near Infrared Camera 2 for adaptive optics at Keck

NIRSPEC

Near Infrared Spectrometer instrument at Keck

NRC

National Research Council (careful, there is an American and a Canadian one, separate entities)

NSF

National Science Foundation

NTP

Network Time Protocol

OAP

Off Axis Parabola

OCDD

Operational Concept Definition Document

OCS

Observatory Control System

ODRP

On-Line Data Reduction Pipeline

OFC

Optimized-gain Fourier Control

OIWFS

On-Instrument Wavefront Sensor

OIWGS

On Instrument Wave Front Sensor

OMSS

Opto-Mechanical Superstructure

OSIRIS

OH-Suppressing Infrared Imaging Spectrograph at Keck

OT

Observing Tool

OWD

Outer Working Distance

PA

Position Angle

pc

Parsec (3.085 X 10¹⁶ m)

PCS

Primary Control System

PDR

Preliminary Design Review

PE

Project Engineer

PI

Principal Investigator

Piezo

Piezo effect actuator

PN

Planetary Nebula

pnCCD

pnSensor based CCD.

PM

Project Manager

PPM

Pupil Plane Mask

PS

Project Scientist

PSDI

Phase-Shifting Diffraction Interferometer

PSF

Point Spread Function

PZT

Lead Zirconium Titanate (Piezo effect actuator)

QE

Quantum Efficiency

QPT

Queue Planning Tool

RFP

Request for Proposal

RMS

Root Mean Square

ROC

Radius Of Curvature

ROI

Region of Interest

RPC

Remote Procedure Call

RSS

Root Sum Square

SC

Science Camera

SCC

Supervisory and Component-Control Computer (Obsolete, see TLC)

SCS

Gemini Telescope Secondary Control System

SD

Simple (image) difference

SE

Systems Engineer

Seqexec

Sequence Executor

SFWFS

Spatially Filtered Wave Front Sensor

SNR

Signal to Noise Ratio

SOW

Statement of Work

SPIE

Society of Photoelectric Instrumentation Engineers

SRD

Software Requirements Document

SSDI

Simultaneous Spectral Differential Imaging

SSD

Speckle Suppressing Device

SSICD

Subsystem Interface Control Document

SSRD

Subsystem Requirements Document

STScI

Space Telescope Science Institute

TBC

To Be Confirmed

TBD

To Be Determined

TCS

Telescope Control System

TLC

Top Level Computer (for GPI was SCC)

TMA

Three Mirror Anastigmat

TPF

Terrestrial Planet Finder

TRIDENT

Three Channel Differential Imager for CHF Telescope

T/T

Tip/Tilt

T/T/F

Tip/Tilt/Focus

UCB

University of California, Berkeley

UCLA

University of California, Los Angeles

UCO

UCO/Lick Observatory

UCSC

University of California, Santa Cruz

UdeM

Université de Montréal

USAF

United States Air Force

VLT

Very Large Telescope

WBS

Work Breakdown Structure

WD

White Dwarf

WFE

WaveFront Error

WFS

WaveFront Sensor

WIRCAM

Wide-Field Infrared Camera