Abstract
A near-infrared adaptive optics system operating at ≅50 Hz has been used to control phase errors adaptively between two mirrors of the Multiple Mirror Telescope by stabilizing the position of the interference fringe in the combined unresolved far-field image. The resultant integrated images have angular resolutions of better than 0.1 arcsec and fringe contrasts of > 0.6. Measurements of wave-front tilt have confirmed the wavelength independence of image motion. These results show that interferometric sensing of phase errors, when combined with a system for sensing the wave-front tilt of the individual telescopes, will provide a means of achieving a stable diffraction-limited focus with segmented telescopes or arrays of telescopes.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 6036-6046 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Applied optics |
Volume | 31 |
Issue number | 28 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 1992 |
Keywords
- Adaptive optics
- Astronomy
- Stellar interferometry
- Telescopes
- Wave-front sensing
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
- Engineering (miscellaneous)
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering