Related papers: Fast modulation and dithering for the NFIRAOS Pyra…
IRIS is a near-infrared (0.84 to 2.4 microns) integral field spectrograph and wide-field imager being developed for first light with the Thirty Meter (TMT). It mounts to the advanced optics (AO) system NFIRAOS and has integrated…
Adaptive optics (AO) systems have significantly improved astronomical imaging capabilities over the last decade, and are revolutionizing the kinds of science possible with 4-5m class ground-based telescopes. A thorough understanding of AO…
Over the last two decades, spatial light modulators (SLMs) have revolutionised our ability to shape optical fields. They grant independent dynamic control over thousands of degrees-of-freedom within a single light beam. In this work we test…
High-contrast imaging systems using active control with adaptive optics (AO) are often limited by non-common path (NCP) aberrations that are seen only at the final science image. AO systems employing focal-plane wavefront sensors (FP-WFSs)…
This paper demonstrates a cryogenic deformable mirror (DM) with 1,020 actuators based on micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS) technology. Cryogenic space-borne infrared telescopes can experience a wavefront error due to a figure error…
Here we report nonlinear focal modulation microscopy (NFOMM) to achieve super-resolution imaging. Abandoning the previous persistence on minimizing the size of Gaussian emission pattern by directly narrowing (e.g. Minimizing the detection…
We present the innovative macro-slicer optical and opto-mechanical designs for the third-generation Mid-resolution InfraReD Astronomical Spectrograph (MIRADAS) instrument for the 10.4m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) in the 1-2.5 $\mu$m…
The Infra-Red Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) is one of the three first light instruments for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) and is the only one to directly sample the diffraction limit. The instrument consists of a parallel imager and…
The main objective of the present project is to explore the viability of an adaptive optics control system based exclusively on Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), making strong use of their parallel processing capability. In an…
Interferometric Fiber Optic Gyroscopes (IFOGs) are widely used in precision navigation systems due to their high sensitivity, robustness, and solid-state nature. To ensure linear response and accurate angular velocity measurement, a fixed…
Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) yields measurement parameters (number of molecules, diffusion time) that characterize the concentration and kinetics of fluorescent molecules within a supposedly known observation volume. Absolute…
We developed a scan mirror mechanism (SMM) that enable a slit-based spectrometer or spectropolarimeter to precisely and quickly map an astronomical object. The SMM, designed to be installed in the optical path preceding the entrance slit,…
The RISTRETTO instrument, a proposed visible high-contrast, high-resolution spectrograph for the VLT, has the primary science goal of detecting reflected light from nearby exoplanets and characterizing their atmospheres. Specifically, it…
Thermal noise is expected to be the dominant source of noise in the most sensitive frequency band of second generation ground based gravitational wave detectors. Reshaping the beam to a flatter wider profile which probes more of the mirror…
As we enter the era of TESS and JWST, instrumentation that can carry out radial velocity measurements of exoplanet systems is in high demand. We will address this demand by upgrading the UC Lick Observatory's 2.4-meter Automated Planet…
The detection and characterization of the 21cm signal from the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) demands extraordinary precision in radio interferometric observations and analysis. For modern low-frequency arrays, achieving the dynamic range…
A Fast Ion Deuterium Alpha (FIDA) spectrometer was installed on MAST to measure radially resolved information about the fast ion density and its distribution in energy and pitch angle. Toroidally and vertically-directed collection lenses…
Wavefront estimation using in-focus image data is critical to many applications. This data is invariant to a sign flip with complex conjugation of the complex amplitude in the pupil, making for a non-unique solution. Information from an…
Advanced LIGO's present baseline design uses arm cavities with Gaussian light beams supported by spherical mirrors. Because Gaussian beams have large intensity gradients in regions of high intensity, they average poorly over fluctuating…
IRIS (InfraRed Imaging Spectrograph) is one of the first-generation instruments for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). IRIS is composed of a combination of near-infrared (0.84--2.4 $\mu$m) diffraction limited imager and integral field…