Expand this Topic clickable element to expand a topic
Skip to content
Optica Publishing Group

Multiple mirror telescope as a phased array telescope

Not Accessible

Your library or personal account may give you access

Abstract

By adjusting the optical path lengths of its individual beams, it is possible to make the multiple mirror telescope (MMT) into a phased array with a 6.86-m base line. A coherent phased focus can be achieved with tilted focal planes if the tilt angle is chosen so that the internal phase differences exactly compensate the external phase differences. This amounts to a slight change in configuration so that the beams are brought together at f/8.39 rather than the originally designed f/9. We summarize experiments which have used the MMT subapertures as a phased array and as a coherent phased telescope and present a simple analysis of the titled focal plane geometry for coherent observation. The phased operation of the MMT is important not only for obtaining high angular resolution but also for obtaining the higher detection sensitivity which results from the better discrimination against the sky emission background for IR diffraction-limited images. Full-aperture (six-beam) diffraction-limited results for the unresolved source Gama Orionis, the well-known close binary Capella, and the resolved red supergiant Betelgeuse (including a diffraction-limited differential speckle image of the latter) are presented as preliminary demonstration of the potential capabilities of this configuration.

© 1985 Optical Society of America

Full Article  |  PDF Article
More Like This
Adaptive optics for array telescopes using piston-and-tilt wave-front sensing

P. Wizinowich, B. McLeod, M. Lloyd-Hart, J. R. P. Angel, D. Colucci, R. Dekany, D. McCarthy, D. Wittman, and I. Scott-Fleming
Appl. Opt. 31(28) 6036-6046 (1992)

Field-of-view limitations of phased telescope arrays

James E. Harvey and Christ Ftaclas
Appl. Opt. 34(25) 5787-5798 (1995)

Optical Phased Array Configuration for an Extremely Large Telescope

Aden Baker Meinel and Marjorie Pettit Meinel
Appl. Opt. 43(3) 601-607 (2004)

Cited By

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Figures (21)

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Figure files are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Tables (2)

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Article tables are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Equations (2)

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Equations are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Select as filters


Select Topics Cancel
© Copyright 2024 | Optica Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved