Interferometry
Optimizing (u,v) plane coverage with a rotating interferometer
Aperture Rotation Synthesis: Optimization of the(u, v)-Plane Coverage for a Rotating Phased Array of Telescopes
Abstract:
The problem of optimizing the (u, v)-plane coverage of a rotating phased array of telescopes is assessed. We search for solutions for maximum uniform (u, v)-plane coverage. Using a simulated annealing algorithm, we find the optimal configurations for rotating arrays with between four and 10 identical telescopes. With few modifications, the same algorithm can find optimal array configurations adapted to specific observations for which the optimal (u, v)-plane coverage is different. We also demonstrate that such rotation-optimized arrays are capable of recovering images of complex sources and obtaining spectroscopic information.
How to optimally design a nulling interferometer ?
A nulling interferometer's performance is a function of both its pupil geometry (number of subapertures, their positions and sizes) and the interferometric combinations performed between the beams. This study looks at how to optimally choose both the geometry and the interferometric combinations to maximize SNR for a faint companion detection / spectroscopy. The optimization criteria is signal-to-noise ration (SNR) for a star + planet system. This study shows how contrast, angular separation and stellar diameter affect the choice of the interferometer's geometry. 2D, 1D an circular configurations are explored with identical telescopes (all apertures have the same diameter) as well as telescopes with different diameters.
Description of source code