Infrared spatial interferometry: Present status and future Plans

D. W. McCarthy; F. J. Low; R. Howell

doi:10.1117/12.957077

Infrared spatial interferometry: Present status and future Plans

D. W. McCarthy, F. J. Low, R. Howell

Steward Observatory

Research output: Contribution to journal › Conference article › peer-review

Abstract

An infrared spatial interferometer has achieved an order-of-magnitude improvement in the angular resolution of ground-based telescopic observations at wavelengths from 2.2 to 20μm. Using incoherent detectors to measure fringe visibility versus baseline, this instrument has obtained an effective angular resolution of 0.1 arcsec at 10.2μm with a 3.2m baseline in 3 arcsec conditions of visual atmospheric "seeing". Observations are made at eight wavelengths to probe different levels of temperature and density in circumstellar envelopes. Twenty-three stars of various spectral types are partially resolved and upper limits placed on the sizes of 25 others. Three stars contain flattened, disk-shaped envelopes. At 10.2μm, objects as faint as zero magnitude have been measured. Significant improvements in sensitivity are expected using a composite diamond-germanium bolometer operating under low background conditions and cooled to 0.3K in a newly developed He³ cryostat. Angular resolution can be doubled using a ≥6.5m baseline provided by the Multiple Mirror Telescope. Plans to use the MMT as a multi-element spatial interferometer will be discussed.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	140-148
Number of pages	9
Journal	Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume	172
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1117/12.957077
State	Published - May 3 1979
Event	Instrumentation in Astronomy III 1979 - Tucson, United States Duration: Jan 29 1979 → Feb 1 1979

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
Condensed Matter Physics
Computer Science Applications
Applied Mathematics
Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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10.1117/12.957077

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title = "Infrared spatial interferometry: Present status and future Plans",

abstract = "An infrared spatial interferometer has achieved an order-of-magnitude improvement in the angular resolution of ground-based telescopic observations at wavelengths from 2.2 to 20μm. Using incoherent detectors to measure fringe visibility versus baseline, this instrument has obtained an effective angular resolution of 0.1 arcsec at 10.2μm with a 3.2m baseline in 3 arcsec conditions of visual atmospheric {"}seeing{"}. Observations are made at eight wavelengths to probe different levels of temperature and density in circumstellar envelopes. Twenty-three stars of various spectral types are partially resolved and upper limits placed on the sizes of 25 others. Three stars contain flattened, disk-shaped envelopes. At 10.2μm, objects as faint as zero magnitude have been measured. Significant improvements in sensitivity are expected using a composite diamond-germanium bolometer operating under low background conditions and cooled to 0.3K in a newly developed He3 cryostat. Angular resolution can be doubled using a ≥6.5m baseline provided by the Multiple Mirror Telescope. Plans to use the MMT as a multi-element spatial interferometer will be discussed.",

author = "McCarthy, {D. W.} and Low, {F. J.} and R. Howell",

note = "Funding Information: It is a pleasure to acknowledge that the National Science Foundation has supported the infrared spatial interferometry program from the outset. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 1979 SPIE. All rights reserved.; Instrumentation in Astronomy III 1979 ; Conference date: 29-01-1979 Through 01-02-1979",

year = "1979",

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doi = "10.1117/12.957077",

language = "English (US)",

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T2 - Instrumentation in Astronomy III 1979

AU - McCarthy, D. W.

AU - Low, F. J.

AU - Howell, R.

N1 - Funding Information: It is a pleasure to acknowledge that the National Science Foundation has supported the infrared spatial interferometry program from the outset. Publisher Copyright: © 1979 SPIE. All rights reserved.

PY - 1979/5/3

Y1 - 1979/5/3

N2 - An infrared spatial interferometer has achieved an order-of-magnitude improvement in the angular resolution of ground-based telescopic observations at wavelengths from 2.2 to 20μm. Using incoherent detectors to measure fringe visibility versus baseline, this instrument has obtained an effective angular resolution of 0.1 arcsec at 10.2μm with a 3.2m baseline in 3 arcsec conditions of visual atmospheric "seeing". Observations are made at eight wavelengths to probe different levels of temperature and density in circumstellar envelopes. Twenty-three stars of various spectral types are partially resolved and upper limits placed on the sizes of 25 others. Three stars contain flattened, disk-shaped envelopes. At 10.2μm, objects as faint as zero magnitude have been measured. Significant improvements in sensitivity are expected using a composite diamond-germanium bolometer operating under low background conditions and cooled to 0.3K in a newly developed He3 cryostat. Angular resolution can be doubled using a ≥6.5m baseline provided by the Multiple Mirror Telescope. Plans to use the MMT as a multi-element spatial interferometer will be discussed.

AB - An infrared spatial interferometer has achieved an order-of-magnitude improvement in the angular resolution of ground-based telescopic observations at wavelengths from 2.2 to 20μm. Using incoherent detectors to measure fringe visibility versus baseline, this instrument has obtained an effective angular resolution of 0.1 arcsec at 10.2μm with a 3.2m baseline in 3 arcsec conditions of visual atmospheric "seeing". Observations are made at eight wavelengths to probe different levels of temperature and density in circumstellar envelopes. Twenty-three stars of various spectral types are partially resolved and upper limits placed on the sizes of 25 others. Three stars contain flattened, disk-shaped envelopes. At 10.2μm, objects as faint as zero magnitude have been measured. Significant improvements in sensitivity are expected using a composite diamond-germanium bolometer operating under low background conditions and cooled to 0.3K in a newly developed He3 cryostat. Angular resolution can be doubled using a ≥6.5m baseline provided by the Multiple Mirror Telescope. Plans to use the MMT as a multi-element spatial interferometer will be discussed.

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M3 - Conference article

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JO - Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering

JF - Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering

Y2 - 29 January 1979 through 1 February 1979

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Infrared spatial interferometry: Present status and future Plans

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