Math & Physics Podcast · Parker Levesque, Rayhan Walia

Episode #111 - Adapting Your Optics w/ Jacob Taylor

·2 hr 6 min·5 clips

Jacob reveals why adaptive optics is essential for astronomy, allowing ground telescopes to tackle problems even James Webb can't solve.

Jacob Taylor, a PhD candidate in astrophysics, discusses his work on adaptive optics at the University of Toronto, focusing on the MAPS project for the MMT Observatory. The conversation covers wavefront sensing, telescope instrumentation, and the intersection of engineering and astronomy, with insights into radio astronomy, machine learning applications, and the historical development of AO technology.

As heard by us

A grounded tour of adaptive optics that makes atmospheric blur easier to picture.

This in-person return to the podcast follows Jacob Taylor through adaptive optics, moving from atmospheric turbulence and wavefront sensing to the tradeoffs between Schack-Hartmann and pyramid sensor designs.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

If you want adaptive optics explained with real technical follow-through, this one gets specific fast.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Math & Physics Podcast