Print Email Facebook Twitter Optimum synthetic-aperture imaging of extended astronomical objects Title Optimum synthetic-aperture imaging of extended astronomical objects Author Van der Avoort, C. Pereira, S.F. Braat, J.J.M. Den Herder, J.W. Faculty Applied Sciences Department Imaging Science and Technology Date 2007-03-14 Abstract In optical aperture-synthesis imaging of stellar objects, different beam combination strategies are used and proposed. Coaxial Michelson interferometers are very common and a homothetic multiaxial interferometer is recently realized in the Large Binocular Telescope. Laboratory experiments have demonstrated the working principles of two new approaches: densified pupil imaging and wide field-of view (FOV) coaxial imaging using a staircase-shaped mirror. We develop a common mathematical formulation for direct comparison of the resolution and noise sensitivity of these four telescope configurations for combining beams from multiple apertures for interferometric synthetic aperture, wide-FOV imaging. Singular value decomposition techniques are used to compare the techniques and observe their distinct signal-to-noise ratio behaviors. We conclude that for a certain chosen stellar object, clear differences in performance of the imagers are identifiable. Subject coherence imagingpartial coherence in imagingphased-array imaging systemstelescopesastronomical opticsspace optics To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:f4ed5cd1-2a97-4356-beb5-b54eb1d971a1 DOI https://doi.org/10.1364/JOSAA.24.001042 Publisher Optical Society of America ISSN 1084-7529 Source http://www.opticsinfobase.org/josaa/abstract.cfm?URI=josaa-24-4-1042 Source Journal of the Optical Society of America A, 24 (4), 2007 Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights (c) 2007 Optical Society of America Files PDF Pereira2007.pdf 1.02 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:f4ed5cd1-2a97-4356-beb5-b54eb1d971a1/datastream/OBJ/view