New methods for masked-aperture and speckle interferometry

Abstract

Diffraction-limited images can be obtained with a large optical telescope using interferometry. One such method for objects of sufficient brightness is non-redundant masking (NRM), in which observations are made through a pupil mask that contains an array of small holes. However, NRM only uses a small fraction of the available light. Here I describe a method for Extended NRM in which a cylindrical lens allows interferograms from many one-dimensional arrays to be recorded side-by-side on a two-dimensional detector. For fainter objects, the holes in the aperture mask should be replaced by slits. In this case, the mask can be removed entirely, with the cylindrical lens effectively creating a continuous series of one-dimensional interferograms. This modified form of speckle interferometry, which I call MODS (Multiplexed One-Dimensional Speckle), is intermediate between NRM and conventional full-aperture speckle. An existing speckle camera can easily be converted to MODS observations by inserting a cylindrical lens. The feasibility of both MODS and Extended NRM are demonstrated using observations with MAPPIT at the Anglo-Australian Telescope.