Related papers: An Optical Ultrahigh Resolution Spectrograph for U…
High resolution spectroscopy made an important step ahead 10 years ago, leading for example to the discovery of numerous exoplanets. But the IR did not benefit from this improvement until very recently. CRIRES will provide a dramatic…
With the aim of utilizing arrayed waveguide gratings for multi-object spectroscopy in the field of astronomy, we outline several ways in which standard telecommunications grade chips should be modified. In particular, by removing the…
In this paper we present the Adaptive Optics Lucky Imager (AOLI), a state-of-the-art instrument which makes use of two well proved techniques for extremely high spatial resolution with ground-based telescopes: Lucky Imaging (LI) and…
In this paper we describe the echelle spectrograph of the 2 meter telescope of the Rozhen National Astronomical Observatory. The spectrograph is a cross-dispersed, bench-mounted, fiber-fed instrument giving a resolution from $\sim$30000 to…
Pollux is a project of UV spectropolarimeter proposed as a European contribution for the planned NASA-led Habitable Worlds Observatory. In the present study we consider design options for four spectral channels. The two main channels…
Adaptive optics can focus light through opaque media by compensating the random phase delay acquired while crossing a scattering curtain. The technique is commonly exploited in many fields, including astrophysics, microscopy, biomedicine…
Sub-wavelength resolution imaging requires high numerical aperture (NA) lenses, which are bulky and expensive. Metasurfaces allow the miniaturization of conventional refractive optics into planar structures. We show that high-aspect-ratio…
Many focal-reducer spectrographs, currently available at state-of-the art telescopes facilities, would benefit from a simple refurbishing that could increase both the resolution and spectral range in order to cope with the progressively…
We developed a nanoplasmonic sensor platform employing the extraordinary optical properties of one-dimensional nanogratings patterned on 30nm-thick ultrathin Ag films. Excitation of Fano resonances in the ultrathin Ag nanogratings results…
A highly sensitive photodetection system with a detection limit of 1 photon/s was developed. This system uses a commercially available 200-mm-diameter silicon avalanche photodiode (APD) and an in-house-developed ultralow-noise readout…
In the last few years, new Adaptive Optics [AO] techniques have emerged to answer new astronomical challenges: Ground-Layer AO [GLAO] and Multi-Conjugate AO [MCAO] to access a wider Field of View [FoV], Multi-Object AO [MOAO] for the…
Optical lenses are pervasive in various areas of sciences and technologies. It is well-known that the resolving power of a lens and thus optical systems is limited by the diffraction of light. Recently, various plasmonics and metamaterials…
Optical power measurements are needed in practically all technologies based on light. Here we report a general-purpose optical power detector based on the photoacoustic effect. Optical power incident on the detector's black absorber…
The Fan Observatory Bench Optical Spectrograph (FOBOS) is intended for single-object optical spectroscopy at moderate resolution (R~1500-3000) using a fiber-fed, bench-mounted design to maintain stability. Whenever possible, the instrument…
Transition radiation from relativistic electrons is investigated in an ultrasonic superlattice excited in a finite thickness plate. In the quasi-classical approximation formulae are derived for the vector potential of the electromagnetic…
We describe and report first results from PALM-3000, the second-generation astronomical adaptive optics facility for the 5.1-m Hale telescope at Palomar Observatory. PALM-3000 has been engineered for high-contrast imaging and emission…
Very fast (f/1.2 and f/1.35) transmissive spectrograph designs are presented for Hector and MSE. The designs have 61mm x 61mm detectors, 4 or 5 camera lenses of aperture less than 228mm, with just 6 air/glass surfaces, and rely on extreme…
We present a versatile and highly configurable scanning acoustic platform. This platform, comprising of a high frequency transducer, bespoke positioning system and temperature-regulated sample unit, enables the acoustic probing of materials…
We have done theoretical calculations and simulations for infrared spectroscopy at the MMT 6.5 m with laser guide star AO, which provides almost full sky coverage. The results show we can expect 40-60% of the photons from a unresolved…
In fiber-based spectroscopy within telescopes, a prevailing limitation has been the necessity to align the fiber diameter with the telescope's seeing conditions, often characterized by the Full Width at Half Maximum of the point spread…