Adaptive-optics system with liquid-crystal phase-shift interferometer

We develop an adaptive-optics system based on a Mach-Zehnder radial shearing interferometer with liquid-crystal-device (LCD) phase-shift interferometry (PSI). Using accurate phase calibration and transient nematic driving of the LCD, the developed three-step PSI procedure can be achieved in a time of 5 ms. The proposed Mach-Zehnder radial shearing PSI method reconstructs the phase information using a digital signal processor (DSP). The DSP then computes appropriate control signals to drive a deformable mirror in such a way as to eliminate the wavefront distortion. The current adaptive-optics system is capable of suppressing low-frequency thermal disturbances with a signal-to-noise ratio improvement of more than 20 dB and a steady-state phase error of less than 0.02pi root mean square when the control loop is operated at a frequency of 30 Hz.     

Adaptive-optics compensation by distributed beacons for non-kolmogorov turbulence

In optical propagation through atmospheric turbulence, the performance of compensation with adaptive optics depends on a beacon's spatial distribution. With distributed beacons, the inefficiency of the modal correction, which is defined as the ratio of the anisoplanatic error of the jth mode and the Zernike-coefficient variance, is derived by use of the wave-front expansion on the Zernike polynomials for non-Kolmogorov turbulence. Numerical results are presented for laser beam propagation through constant turbulence with an offset point beacon and an on-axis uniform circular beacon. The results show that compensation for an on-axis uniform circular beacon is much more effective than that for an offset point beacon. The low-order modes are much more correlated than the higher-order modes. The larger the power-law exponent of the refractive-index power spectrum beta, the smaller the propagation path length L and the larger the diameter D of the telescope aperture, the more effective the compensation is. For a specific extended degree of beacon for which there are a maximum number of modes N(max) to be corrected, only low-order-correction systems are useful.     

Membrane photon sieve telescopes

We present results of research into the design and construction of membrane photon sieves as primaries for next-generation lightweight space telescopes. We have created prototypes in electroformed nickel as well as diazo and CP-1 polymer films. In two such cases, diffraction-limited imaging performance was demonstrated over a narrow bandwidth.     

Equal-curvature grazing-incidence x-ray telescopes

We introduce a new type of x-ray telescope design, an equal-curvature telescope. We simply add a second-order axial sag to the base grazing-incidence cone-cone telescope. The radius of curvature of the sag terms is the same on the primary surface and on the secondary surface. The design is optimized such that the on-axis image spot at the focal plane is minimized. The on-axis rms spot diameter of two telescopes that we studied is less than 0.2 arc sec. The off-axis performance is comparable with that of equivalent Wolter type 1 telescopes.     

Sensitivity of coded mask telescopes

Simple formulas are often used to estimate the sensitivity of coded mask x-ray or gamma-ray telescopes, but these are strictly applicable only if a number of basic assumptions are met. Complications arise, for example, if a grid structure is used to support the mask elements, if the detector spatial resolution is not good enough to completely resolve all the detail in the shadow of the mask, or if any of a number of other simplifying conditions are not fulfilled. We derive more general expressions for the Poisson-noise-limited sensitivity of astronomical telescopes using the coded mask technique, noting explicitly in what circumstances they are applicable. The emphasis is on using nomenclature and techniques that result in simple and revealing results. Where no convenient expression is available a procedure is given that allows the calculation of the sensitivity. We consider certain aspects of the optimization of the design of a coded mask telescope and show that when the detector spatial resolution and the mask to detector separation are fixed, the best source location accuracy is obtained when the mask elements are equal in size to the detector pixels.     

Wind loads on ground-based telescopes

One of the factors that can influence the performance of large optical telescopes is the vibration of the telescope structure due to unsteady wind inside the telescope enclosure. Estimating the resulting degradation in image quality has been difficult because of the relatively poor understanding of the flow characteristics. Significant progress has recently been made, informed by measurements in existing observatories, wind-tunnel tests, and computational fluid dynamic analyses. We combine the information from these sources to summarize the relevant wind characteristics and enable a model of the dynamic wind loads on a telescope structure within an enclosure. The amplitude, temporal spectrum, and spatial distribution of wind disturbances are defined as a function of relevant design parameters, providing a significant improvement in our understanding of an important design issue.     

Terahertz astronomical telescopes and instrumentation

The terahertz (THz) region of the electromagnetic spectrum is of great importance for astrophysics. In fact, it is central to the whole field of experimental cosmology. This paper outlines the range of astrophysical problems that can be answered by observing at THz frequencies, describes some of the major THz astronomical telescopes that are being constructed, and gives a vision of the way in which the technological development of superconducting very-large-scale integration circuit technology and solid-state source technology will lead to major advances in the subject.     

Fresnel phasing of segmented mirror telescopes

Shack-Hartmann (S-H) phasing of segmented telescopes is based upon a physical optics generalization of the geometrical optics Shack-Hartmann test, in which each S-H lenslet straddles an intersegment edge. For the extremely large segmented telescopes currently in the design stages, one is led naturally to very large pupil demagnifications for the S-H phasing cameras. This in turn implies rather small Fresnel numbers F for the lenslets; the nominal design for the Thirty Meter Telescope calls for F=0.6. For such small Fresnel numbers, it may be possible to eliminate the lenslets entirely, replacing them with a simple mask containing a sparse array of clear subapertures and thereby also eliminating a number of manufacturing problems and experimental complications associated with lenslets. We present laboratory results that demonstrate the validity of this approach.     

Layer-oriented adaptive optics for solar telescopes

First multiconjugate adaptive-optical (MCAO) systems are currently being installed on solar telescopes. The aim of these systems is to increase the corrected field of view with respect to conventional adaptive optics. However, this first generation is based on a star-oriented approach, and it is then difficult to increase the size of the field of view beyond 60-80?arc sec in diameter. We propose to implement the layer-oriented approach in solar MCAO systems by use of wide-field Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors conjugated to the strongest turbulent layers. The wavefront distortions are averaged over a wide field: the signal from distant turbulence is attenuated and the tomographic reconstruction is thus done optically. The system consists of independent correction loops, which only need to account for local turbulence: the subapertures can be enlarged and the correction frequency reduced. Most importantly, a star-oriented MCAO system becomes more complex with increasing field size, while the layer-oriented approach benefits from larger fields and will therefore be an attractive solution for the future generation of solar MCAO systems.     

Compact, holographic correction of aberrated telescopes

We demonstrate a compact reflector telescope design that incorporates the holographic correction of a large, low-quality primary spherical mirror by using a laser beacon located at the center of curvature. The simple design makes use of conventional optics and is easily scalable to much larger apertures. Experimental results indicate diffraction-limited performance from a heavily aberrated 0.5-m-diameter spherical mirror.     

Maksutov’s cameras and telescopes

The third-order aberration formulae we have proposed in a previous paper, starting from Fermat’s principle and from the idea of stigmatic paths, are here applied to analyze and to project Maksutov’s cameras and Maksutov-Cassegrain’s telescopes. The final projects, since they take into account the thickness of lenses and the fifth-order aberrations, do not need any optimization procedure.     

Diffraction effects from giant segmented-mirror telescopes

Ultrahigh contrast imaging with giant segmented-mirror telescopes will involve light levels of order 10(-6) times that of the central diffraction spike or less. At these levels it is important to quantify accurately various diffraction effects, including segmentation geometry, intersegment gaps, obscuration by the secondary mirror and its supports, and segment alignment and figure errors. We describe an accurate method for performing such calculations and present preliminary results in the context of the California Extremely Large Telescope.     

Productivity and impact of large optical telescopes

An attempt is made to provide quantitative measures of the amount of data gathered at large optical telescopes throughout the world and the impact these data have on astronomical research. The data base comprises 1163 papers reporting data from 39 telescopes, published between January 1990 and June 1991, and 4052 citations to them in 1993. Productivity measured in papers per square meter of telescope mirror varies by a factor of six, and impact measured in citations per paper varies by a factor of more than 10. Predictably, high productivity and high impact are associated with telescopes located at good sites and fully supported for many years by organizations with large budgets. Low productivity and low impact are associated with less favorable locations, short periods of operation, and financial stringency. In addition, the most productive telescopes seem to be ones whose users include astronomers from a wide range of geographical locations.January to June.July to December     

Rolled edges and phasing of segmented telescopes

To achieve the diffraction limit, the segments in a segmented telescope must be correctly aligned to a fraction of a wavelength. This alignment is performed via optical measurements using starlight. We investigate the piston degree of freedom or phasing of the segments and the impact of rolled segment edges on the accuracy of the optical alignment. Three models for edge profiles are developed and fit to data from optic manufacturers. These profiles are then used, along with a simplified model of a Shack-Hartmann optical sensor, to determine their impact on phasing accuracy. The results can help estimate the residual phasing error and set requirements on segment polishing.     

Measurement accuracy in control of segmented-mirror telescopes

Design concepts for future large optical telescopes have highly segmented primary mirrors, with the out-of-plane degrees of freedom actively controlled. We estimate the contribution to errors in controlling the primary mirror that results from sensor noise and, in particular, compare mechanical measurements of relative segment motion with optical wave-front information. Data from the Keck telescopes are used to obtain realistic estimates of the achievable noise due to mechanical sensors. On the basis of these estimates, mechanical sensors will be more accurate than wave-front information for any of the telescope design concepts currently under consideration, and therefore supplemental wave-front sensors are not required for real-time figure control. Furthermore, control system errors due to sensor noise will not significantly degrade either seeing-limited or diffraction-limited observations.     

Widening the effective field of view of adaptive-optics telescopes by deconvolution from wave-front sensing: average and signal-to-noise ratio performance

A fundamental problem of adaptive-optics systems is the very narrow corrected field of view that can be obtained because turbulence is extended in altitude throughout the atmosphere. The correctable field of view is of the order of 5-10 μrad at visible wavelengths and increases as the wavelength increases. Previous concepts to broaden the corrected field of view have been hardware oriented, requiring multiple wave-front sensor (WFS) measurements to control multiple deformable mirrors. We analyze the average and the signal-to-noise-ratio performance of an image measurement and postprocessing technique that uses simultaneous measurements of a short-exposure compensated image measured in an off-axis direction; an additional WFS measurement is taken in the off-axis direction. Results are presented for infinite-altitude WFS beacons driving both the WFS for the adaptive optics and the WFS looking in the off-axis direction, a variety of seeing and WFS light-level conditions, and off-axis angles from two to six times the isoplanatic angle. This technique improves the average effective transfer function out to a field angle of at least six times the isoplanatic angle while providing a higher signal-to-noise ratio in the spatial frequency domain.