Related papers: Technology challenges for space interferometry: th…
Asgard/NOTT (previously Hi-5) is a European Research Council (ERC)-funded project hosted at KU Leuven and a new visitor instrument for the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Its primary goal is to image the snow line region around…
Highest resolution imaging in astronomy is achieved by interferometry, connecting telescopes over increasingly longer distances, and at successively shorter wavelengths. Here, we present the first diffraction-limited images in visual light,…
The current status of the high spatial resolution imaging interferometry in optical astronomy is reviewed in the light of theoretical explanation, as well as of experimental constraints that exist in the present day technology. The basic…
Nulling interferometry, a powerful technique for high-resolution imaging of the close neighbourhood of bright astrophysical objets, is currently considered for future space missions such as Darwin or the Terrestrial Planet Finder…
BIFROST will be a short-wavelength ($\lambda$ = 1.0 - 1.7$\mu$m) beam combiner for the VLT Interferometer, combining both high spatial ($\lambda$/2B = 0.8 mas) and spectral (up to R = 25,000) resolution. It will be part of the Asgard Suite…
Optical interferometric imaging enables astronomical observation at extremely high angular resolution. The necessary optical information for imaging, such as the optical path differences and visibilities, is easy to extract from fringes…
Aims: Optical interferometry from space for the purpose of detecting and characterising exoplanets is seeing a revival, specifically from missions such as the proposed Large Interferometer For Exoplanets (LIFE). A default assumption since…
Aims: In the context of space interferometry missions devoted to the search of exo-Earths, this paper investigates the capabilities of new single mode conductive waveguides at providing modal filtering in an infrared and monochromatic…
During some thirty years, 1980-2010, technical studies of optical interferometry from instruments in space were pursued as promising for higher spatial resolution and for higher astrometric accuracy. Nulling interferometry was studied for…
The use of interferometric nulling for the direct characterization of extrasolar planets is an exciting prospect, but one that faces many practical challenges when deployed on telescopes. The largest limitation is the extreme sensitivity of…
It has been recently demonstrated that integrated optics could enhance accuracy, stability, and ease of use of stellar interferometry techniques. The subject of this thesis is the study of an optical component based on singlemode waveguides…
The low-frequency sky below $\sim$15 MHz (20 m) is obscured by the Earth's ionosphere, the layer of charged particles above the neutral atmosphere. Single spacecraft have made measurements in this band, but cannot achieve high or even…
The optical elements comprised of sub-diffractive light scatterers, or metasurfaces, hold a promise to reduce the footprint and unfold new functionalities of optical devices. A particular interest is focused on metasurfaces for manipulation…
Resolving high-contrast targets is a fundamental yet highly challenging task in astronomy. Using quantum estimation theory, we demonstrate that the ultimate limit for estimating the separation between two unequal-brightness thermal sources…
Long-baseline interferometry at optical and near-infrared wavelengths is an emerging technology which is quickly becoming a useful tool to investigate stellar atmospheres and to compare observations with models. Stellar atmosphere models…
An international group of scientists has begun planning for the Planet Formation Imager (PFI, www.planetformationimager.org), a next-generation infrared interferometer array with the primary goal of imaging the active phases of planet…
We recognize the need for the characterization of exoplanets in reflected light in the visible and in the IR termal emission. But for the thermal infrared we also recognize the difficulty of an interferometric nuller We nevertheless endorse…
Integrated optics are used to achieve astronomical interferometry inside robust and compact materials, improving the instrument's stability and sensitivity. In order to perform differential phase measurements at the H$\alpha$ line (656.3…
The characterisation of exoplanets is critical to understanding planet diversity and formation, their atmospheric composition and the potential for life. This endeavour is greatly enhanced when light from the planet can be spatially…
Integrated-optic components are being increasingly used in astrophysics, mainly where accuracy and precision are paramount. One such emerging technology is nulling interferometry that targets high contrast and high angular resolution. Two…