Imaging with Amplitude and Intensity Interferometers
Abstract
Amplitude and intensity interferometers are powerful imaging devices. An amplitude interferometer measures the modulus and phase of the Fourier transform of the brightness distribution of an incoherent source thus the response of the amplitude interferometer can be inverted to obtain an image of the source. A traditional intensity interferometer measures only the modulus of the Fourier transform of a source's brightness distribution. It cannot fully reconstruct a complex source because the device does not measure phase information of the Fourier transform. This type of device is nevertheless able to approximate a source's size and in the case where the source's shape is known a precise size estimate can be extracted in a model-dependent manner. Extensions to the traditional intensity interferometer however enable it to fully image a source. This document derives the responses of amplitude and intensity interferometers and discusses the advantages and limitations of each type of device.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA426395
Entities
People
- Frank Rotondo
Organizations
- Institute for Defense Analyses