Related papers: NPF: mirror development in Chile
We developed a broadband two-layer anti-reflection (AR) coating for use on a sapphire half-wave plate (HWP) and an alumina infrared (IR) filter for the cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarimetry. Measuring the faint CMB B-mode signals…
We have developed light and durable mirrors made of CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics) laminates for the reflector of the new CANGAROO-II 7 m telescope. The reflector has a parabolic shape (F/1.1) with a 30 m^2 effective area which…
Multi-wavelength imaging polarimetry at far-infrared wavelengths has proven to be an excellent tool for studying the physical properties of dust, molecular clouds, and magnetic fields in the interstellar medium. Although these wavelengths…
We review the present status of liquid mirror telescopes. Interferometric tests of liquid mirrors (the largest one having a diameter of 2.5 meters ) show excellent optical qualities. The basic technology is now sufficiently reliable that it…
Nickel carbon based multi-layers are a viable route towards future hard X-ray and soft $\gamma$-ray focusing telescopes. Here, we study the Pulsed Laser Deposition growth conditions of such bilayers by Reflective High Energy Electron…
We propose and demonstrate, through simulation and experiment, how the interaction of an optical field within a waveguide designed for chemical sensing and, more generally, evanescent field spectroscopy can be enhanced substantially by…
The Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) is a new facility instrument for Subaru Telescope which will be installed in around 2017. It is a multi-object spectrograph fed by about 2400 fibers placed at the prime focus covering a hexagonal…
The Fabry-P\'erot resonator is one of the most widely used optical devices, enabling scientific and technological breakthroughs in diverse fields including cavity QED, optical clocks, precision length metrology and spectroscopy. Though…
Reflection at relativistically moving plasma mirrors is a well-known approach for frequency conversion as an alternative to nonlinear techniques. A key issue with plasma mirrors is the need for a high carrier concentration, of order 10^21…
Optical interferometry is a powerful technique to achieve high angular resolution. However, its main issue is its lack of sensitivity, compared to other observation techniques. Efforts have been made in the previous decade to improve the…
The SuMIRe Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS), developed for the 8-m class SUBARU telescope, will consist of four identical spectrographs, each receiving 600 fibers from a 2394 fiber robotic positioner at the telescope prime focus. Each…
Research activities during the last decade have shown the strong potential of photonic devices to greatly simplify ground based and space borne astronomical instruments and to improve their performance. We focus specifically on the…
Mid-infrared astronomy (operating at wavelengths ranging from 2 to 25 $\mu$m) has progressed significantly in the last decades, thanks to the improvement of detector techniques and the growing diameter of telescopes. Space observatories…
Cooling down test masses to cryogenic temperatures is a way to reduce the thermal noise of gravitational wave detectors. Crystalline materials are considered the most promising materials for fabricating cryogenic test masses and their…
X-ray mirrors with high focusing performances are in use in both mirror modules for X-ray telescopes and in synchrotron and FEL (Free Electron Laser) beamlines. A degradation of the focus sharpness arises in general from geometrical…
Composite mirrors for gamma-ray astronomy have been developed to fulfill the specifications required for the next generation of Cherenkov telescopes represented by CTA (Cherenkov Telescope Array). In addition to the basic requirements on…
PASCO scientific 012-05187C Precision Interferometer is used in Michelson mode to investigate wavelengths and refractive indices. From varying the distance of the movable mirror in the Michelson setup the wavelength of the HeNe laser beam…
Parabolic and spherical mirrors are constructed of aluminized PET polyester film on urethane foam. During construction, the chosen shape of the mirror is created by manipulating the elastic/plastic behavior of the film with air pressure.…
Space interferometry is the inevitable endpoint of high angular resolution astrophysics, and a key technology that can be leveraged to analyse exoplanet formation and atmospheres with exceptional detail. However, the anticipated cost of…
Optical interferometers with suspended mirrors are the archetype of all current audio-frequency gravitational-wave detectors. The radiation pressure interaction between the motion of the mirror and the circulating optical field in such…