Physics – Optics
Scientific paper
Aug 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006iauss...1e...7o&link_type=abstract
Astronomical Facilities of the Next Decade, 26th meeting of the IAU, Special Session 1, 16-17 August, 2006 in Prague, Czech Repu
Physics
Optics
Scientific paper
Introduction: We found that the uniform linear off-line multi-detector intensity interferometer is far more redundant than one might naively guess. We used this very high redundancy to increase the instrument's SNR or, alternatively, its sensitivity. Methods: We examined a uniformly spaced off-line N-detector intensity interferometer correlating all subgroups of the N inputs. We showed that this highly redundant configuration, when coupled with off-line processing, can be used to effectively increase the overall SNR of the instrument (or alternatively, its sensitivity). Results: the N-detector intensity interferometer can operate in a regime where the SNR scales approximately exponentially with the product NAαn, where A is the area of each reflector, α is the detector's quantum efficiency and n is the spectral photon flux density of the source. Moreover, off-line processing of the same data will enable to transform a 2D field of point-like sources to a 3D distribution of micro-arcsec resolved systems. Each of the systems will be truly imaged in p optical bands without a need to fit the visibility curve to some model, and it will also have its high quality spectra (inside each optical band), photometry, emergent flux, effective temperature, high resolution residual timing and polarization effects measured simultaneously. All of these can be measured in a single observation run of a dedicated facility. The facility will not need precision optics or mechanics of almost any kind. We also introduced in a "coronagraphic" effect which can be used to increase the dynamic range of the instrument even further. Discussion: The above properties may warrant an evaluation of such a facility as an alternative to space interferometer missions (such as SIM). The proposed instrument might outperform SIM in many parameters: it will have far better resolution, more observables, it will create images for all observed objects, it presents a much simpler technological challenge, and it will be ground-based. It seems that multi-detector intensity interferometry could be used as a present day technique answering present day questions, and indeed deserves another review.
Ofir A. O.
Ribak N. R. E.
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