Related papers: Probing micro-arcsec astrometry with NACO
Direct imaging and spectral characterization of exoplanets using extreme adaptive optics (ExAO) is a key science goal of future extremely large telescopes and space observatories. However, quasi-static wavefront errors will limit the…
We study the impact of the atmospheric differential chromatic refraction on the measurements and precision of relative astrometry. Specifically, we address the problem of measuring the separations of close pairs of binary stars with…
Adaptive optic (AO) systems delivering high levels of wavefront correction are now common at observatories. One of the main limitations to image quality after wavefront correction comes from atmospheric refraction. An Atmospheric dispersion…
We systematically investigate the error sources for high-precision astrometry from adaptive optics based near-infrared imaging data. We focus on the application in the crowded stellar field in the Galactic Center. We show that at the level…
The Phase-Referenced Imaging and Micro-arcsecond Astrometry (PRIMA) facility is scheduled for installation in the Very Large Telescope Interferometer observatory in Paranal, Chile, in the second half of 2008. Its goal is to provide…
A novel method capable of delivering relative optical path length metrology with nanometer precision is demonstrated. Unlike conventional dual-wavelength metrology which employs heterodyne detection, the method developed in this work…
The Closeby Habitable Exoplanet Survey (CHES) aims to achieve microarcsecond-level astrometry of about one hundred nearby FGK-type stars within 10 parsecs to detect Earth-like planets. Such precision exceeds the capability of absolute…
First discovered by Ernest Abbe in 1873, the resolution limit of a far-field microscope is considered determined by the numerical aperture and wavelength of light, approximately $\lambda$/2NA. With the advent of modern fluorescence…
We demonstrate a signal processing concept for imaging the sky at millisecond rates with radio interferometers. The "Pocket Correlator" (PoCo) correlates the signals from multiple elements of a radio interferometer fast enough to image…
(abridged) We present results from a detailed set of end-to-end numerical simulations of SIM narrow-angle astrometric measurements and data analysis to illustrate the enormous potential that SIM has for the discovery and characterization of…
A long-held vision has been to realize diffraction-limited optical aperture synthesis over kilometer baselines. This will enable imaging of stellar surfaces and their environments, and reveal interacting gas flows in binary systems. An…
Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) are very-large telescopes designed to detect the nanosecond-timescale flashes produced within extended air showers. Because IACTs are sensitive to the Cherenkov light (UV/blue) and use…
Stellar intensity interferometers will achieve stellar imaging with a tenth of a milli- arcsecond resolution in the optical band by taking advantage of the large light collect- ing area and broad range of inter-telescope distances offered…
Optical interferometry has been successful at achieving milliarcsecond resolution on bright stars. Imaging performance can improve greatly by increasing the number of baselines, which has motivated proposals to build large (~ 100 m) optical…
We have designed, constructed, and tested an InGaAs near-infrared camera to explore whether low-cost detectors can make small (<1 m) telescopes capable of precise (<1 mmag) infrared photometry of relatively bright targets. The camera is…
We measured the angular diameters of six stars using the 6-element observing mode of the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer (NPOI) for the first time since the early 2000s. Four of the diameters ranged from 1.2 mas to 1.9 mas, while the…
Mid-infrared (mid-IR) observations of Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) have historically been a valuable tool for understanding their physical properties. However, the current state of mid-IR instruments on ground-based telescopes places several…
Context. delta Vel contains the brightest eclipsing binary in the southern sky (delta Vel A), and a nearby third star located ~0.6" away (delta Vel B). The proximity of delta Vel B (usable as a reference) makes it a particularly well-suited…
WFIRST will conduct a coronagraphic program of characterizing the atmospheres of planets around bright nearby stars. When observed with the WFIRST Wide Field Camera, these stars will saturate the detector and produce very strong diffraction…
Using kilometric arrays of air Cherenkov telescopes, intensity interferometry may increase the spatial resolution in optical astronomy by an order of magnitude, enabling images of rapidly rotating stars with structures in their…