Fiber Optic Synthetic Aperture Interferometer
Abstract
This report describes a Fiber Optic Stellar Interferometer built by Optra, Inc. for the purposes of (1) measuring stellar diameters using a pair of small portable telescopes (rather than a large observatory telescope), and (2) measuring atmospheric turbulence. The key element of this concept is the use of singlemode optical fibers to link the separate small telescopes with the interferometer module. We have shown that the proposed turbulence measurements are entirely feasible using a distant light source (preferably a laser). The demonstration of the ability to obtain white light fringes through the fibers was not successful. We believe that this is due to a mismatch in the lengths of the fibers, and we have proposed a simple and flexible solution to this problem. (jd)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA227891
Entities
People
- Michael Hercher