NSF/AFOSR Astronomy: Precision Imaging with Adaptive Optics Non-Redundant Masking Interferometry

California Institute Of Technology, Pasadena CA

Investigators

Abstract

This project will apply the non-redundant masking technique to an adaptive optics system. The advantages of non-redundant masking are: rejection of atmospheric noise resulting in improved signal-to-noise ratio; precision calibratability of the data resulting in reliable results even beyond the diffraction limit (super-resolution); and image reconstruction with closure phase techniques that is immune to phase errors introduced by the atmosphere, telescope, and adaptive optics system. Visibility data will be simultaneously calibrated with wavefront sensor telemetry, eliminating temporal variability in the atmospheric and AO system properties as a systematic uncertainty.