Proposal for the Implementation of the ALOHA Up-Conversion Interferometer on the CHARA Telescope Array

Jean Thomas Gomes (1) , Ludovic Grossard (1) , Romain Baudoin (1) , Laurent Delage (1) , François Reynaud (1) , T. A. Ten Brummelaar , N.J. Scott , J. Sturmann (2) , Vincent Coudé Du Foresto (3)

1 XLIM-PHOT - Photonique Fibre et Sources Cohérentes
2 CHARA - Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy
3 LESIA - Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique

In this paper, we present a new concept of instrument for high resolution imaging in astronomy, involving the sum frequency generation in non-linear wavegui des. The aim is to convert the infrared radiation emitted by an astronomical source to the visible spectral domain where the optical components are mature and efficient. We present the main experimental results obtained in laboratory, and propose a new design for this instrument for its implementation on the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) telescope array. Preliminary stability and photometric results obtained at CHARA are pre- sented. Using these last measurements, we estimate the limiting magnitudes which could be reached by this interferometer in the H spectral band.

Domaines: Optique / photonique

Jean Thomas Gomes, Ludovic Grossard, Romain Baudoin, Laurent Delage, François Reynaud, et al.. Proposal for the Implementation of the ALOHA Up-Conversion Interferometer on the CHARA Telescope Array . Journal of Astronomical Instrumentation, 2014, 3 (3-4), pp.1450008. ⟨10.1142/S2251171714500081⟩. ⟨hal-01321435⟩