Year: 2000
Type: article
Abstract: We report the Ðrst use of Michelson interferometry on the Keck I telescope for di †ractionlimited imaging in the near-infrared JHKL bands.By using an aperture mask located close to the f/25 secondary, the 10 m Keck primary mirror was transformed into a separate-element, multiple-aperture interferometer.This has allowed di †raction-limited imaging of a large number of bright astrophysical targets, including the geometrically complex dust envelopes around a number of evolved stars.The successful restoration of these images, with dynamic ranges in excess of 200 : 1, highlights the signiÐcant capabilities of sparse aperture imaging as compared with more conventional Ðlled-pupil speckle imaging for the class of bright targets considered here.In particular, the enhancement of the signal-to-noise ratio of the Fourier data, precipitated by the reduction in atmospheric noise, allows high-Ðdelity imaging of complex sources with small numbers of short-exposure images relative to speckle.Multiepoch measurements conÐrm the reliability of this imaging technique, and our whole data set provides a powerful demonstration of the capabilities of aperture-masking methods when utilized with the current generation of large-aperture telescopes.The relationship between these new results and recent advances in interferometry and adaptive optics is brieÑy discussed.
DOI: 10.1086/316550
Authors: P. G. Tuthill, J. D. Monnier, W. C. Danchi, E. H. Wishnow, C. A. Haniff
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2070974308