The Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array is a six-element interferometer with baselines ranging from 34 to 331m. The Array has had many upgrades in recent years including new beam combiners: MYSTIC is a 6T combiner for K-band; SPICA is a 6T combiner for the visible R-band; and SILMARIL is a 3T combiner for high sensitivity in the H- and K-bands. A seventh, mobile telescope is now on site for use with fiber optics for beam transport. Observing time is available to the community through a program funded by NSF. The observing programs are solicited and peer-reviewed by NSF’s NOIRLab. Here we summarize the scientific work and the on-going technical advances of the CHARA Array.
The Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array currently consists of 6 telescopes at fixed positions, connected by vacuum pipes to the delay lines. The CHARA Michelson Array Pathfinder (CMAP) project includes two major components: 1) a mobile telescope that can be placed at a number of locations, and 2) a fiber optic relay system to transport light to the beam combining facility. The telescope will be equipped with a custom-built instrument bench with adaptive optics and fiber injection. The light will be transported by optical fibers to the existing CHARA delay lines. In this contribution, we present the progress on the various subsystems needed to integrate the new telescope and beam transport method into the existing CHARA environment. We will also describe our efforts to find internal fringes with the new fibers.
The CHARA Array has added a 7th telescope to extend the existing 6 telescope array. The CHARA Michelson Array Pathfinder (CMAP) includes a 1m Planewave RC Telescope mounted in a custom designed mobile trailer and pier system. The telescope and trailer can be placed at multiple locations around the Mount Wilson Observatory site; each site consisting of a flat concrete pad with a novel pier design. Optical fibers will connect each site to the CHARA optical delay and combiner lab. This enables new short baselines of ∼17m for imaging the surfaces of large stars and new long baselines on the order of ∼600m for resolving small stars. There are two sites developed at the array for this telescope. In the future, there are plans to expand the array to greater than 1 km maximum baselines. These baselines will be used in conjunction with the existing 15 baselines that range from 34 to 331m. Moving such a telescope around the observatory presents some unique challenges. The telescope can make use of the same optical delay lines and beam combiners as the other CHARA Array telescopes.
SPICA (Stellar Parameters and Images with a Cophased Array) is a 6-telescope (6T) visible instrument for the CHARA Array (Center for High Angular Resolution in Astronomy) at Mount Wilson Observatory. It uses single mode fibers for feeding the interferometric spectrograph, which offers three different spectral resolutions: R=140, R=4000, and R=14000. CHARA/SPICA has been mainly designed for large programs (surveys) in the domain of stellar fundamental parameters but also permits fast imaging thanks to the 15 baselines and the large number of spectral channels (60 in low resolution mode). SPICA is made of the visible instrument SPICA-VIS and of a new H-band, 6T, ABCD combiner performing group delay and phase delay tracking. In this paper, we present the first light results of SPICA.
The Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array is a six-element interferometer with baselines ranging from 34 to 331 m. Three new beam combiners are entering operation: MYSTIC is a 6-telescope combiner for K-band; SPICA is a 6-telescope combiner for the visible R-band; and SILMARIL is a 3-telescope combiner for high sensitivity in H and K-bands. A seventh, portable telescope will use fiber optics for beam transport and will increase the baselines to 1 km. Observing time is available through a program funded by NSF. The programs are solicited and peer-reviewed by NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory. The open community access has significantly expanded the range of astronomical investigations of stars and their environments. Here we summarize the scientific work and the on-going technical advances of the CHARA Array.
Much research has been done to show the possibilities of using long transport fibers in optical interferometry. The CHARA Michelson Array Pathfinder will extend the spatial coverage of the CHARA Array by adding a mobile 1-meter telescope connected by optical fibers. The pathfinder will operate in H-band and will explore baselines up to approximately 1 km, giving an angular resolution of 0.2 mas. The new telescope will be placed at short baselines to image the surfaces of large stars and at long baselines to resolve small stars. Here we describe the project and our progress on various subsystems.
The CHARA Array is an optical/infrared interferometer that combines the light from six 1-meter telescopes. With baselines ranging from 34 to 331 meters, CHARA provides sub-milliarcsecond resolution to measure stellar diameters, image stellar surfaces, resolve close binary companions, and study circumstellar environments. In this paper, we present recent highlights from the CHARA Array, focusing on the implementation of adaptive optics, the ongoing development of next generation beam combiners, an update on the community access program, and a discussion about future developments.
The CHARA Array is the longest baseline optical interferometer in the world. Operated with natural seeing, it has delivered landmark sub-milliarcsecond results in the areas of stellar imaging, binaries, and stellar diameters. However, to achieve ambitious observations of faint targets such as young stellar objects and active galactic nuclei, higher sensitivity is required. For that purpose, adaptive optics are developed to correct atmospheric turbulence and non-common path aberrations between each telescope and the beam combiner lab. This paper describes the AO software and its integration into the CHARA system. We also report initial on-sky tests that demonstrate an increase of scientific throughput by sensitivity gain and by extending useful observing time in worse seeing conditions. Our 6 telescopes and 12 AO systems with tens of critical alignments and control loops pose challenges in operation. We describe our methods enabling a single scientist to operate the entire system.
The CHARA array is an optical/near infrared interferometer consisting of six 1-meter diameter telescopes, the longest baseline of which is 331 meters. With sub-millisecond angular resolution, the CHARA array is able to spatially resolve nearby stellar systems and reveal their detailed structures. To improve the sensitivity and scientific throughput, the CHARA array was funded by NSF-ATI in 2011 for an upgrade of adaptive optics (AO) systems to all six telescopes. This first grant covered Phase I of the adaptive optics system, which includes an on-telescope Wavefront Sensor (WFS) and non-common-path (NCP) error correction. Phase II of the program was funded by the NSF/MRI in 2016, and includes purchasing and installing the deformable mirrors at each telescope to complete the system. In this paper we will discuss both phases of the program, how the challenge of AO differs for interferometry, and the first results of the full system.
The CHARA Array is a six-element, optical/NIR interferometer, which currently has the largest operational baselines in the world. The Array is operated by Georgia State University and is located at the Mount Wilson Observatory in California. The Array thrives thanks to members of the CHARA consortium that includes LESIA (Observatoire de Paris), Observatoire de la Cote dAzur, University of Michigan, Sydney University, Australian National University, and University of Exeter. Here we give a brief introduction to the Array infrastructure with a focus on a developing Adaptive Optics (AO) program, the new community access program funded by the NSF, and recent science results.
The CHARA Array, operated by Georgia State University, is located at Mount Wilson Observatory just north of Los Angeles in California. The CHARA consortium includes many groups, including LIESA in Paris, Observatoire de la Cote d’Azur, the University of Michigan, Sydney University, the Australian National University, the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, and most recently the University of Exeter. The CHARA Array is a six-element optical/NIR interferometer, and for the time being at least, has the largest operational baselines in the world. In this paper we will give a brief introduction to the array infrastructure with a focus on our Adaptive Optics program, and then discuss current funding as well as opportunities of funding in the near future.
We describe a back-end Adaptive Optics system for the CHARA Array called Lab-AO intended to compensate for non-common path errors between the AO system at the telescopes and the final beam combining area some hundreds of meters away. The system is an on-axis, very small field of view, low order system that will work on star light if enough is present, or will make use of a blue light beacon sent from the telescope towards the laboratory if not enough star light is available. The first of six of these system has been installed and has recently been tested on the sky. Another five will be built for the remaining telescopes later this year.
The CHARA array is an optical interferometer with six 1-meter diameter telescopes, providing baselines from 33 to 331 meters. With sub-milliarcsecond angular resolution, its versatile visible and near infrared combiners offer a unique angle of studying nearby stellar systems by spatially resolving their detailed structures. To improve the sensitivity and scientific throughput, the CHARA array was funded by NSF-ATI in 2011 to install adaptive optics (AO) systems on all six telescopes. The initial grant covers Phase I of the AO systems, which includes on-telescope Wavefront Sensors (WFS) and non-common-path (NCP) error correction. Meanwhile we are seeking funding for Phase II which will add large Deformable Mirrors on telescopes to close the full AO loop. The corrections of NCP error and static aberrations in the optical system beyond the WFS are described in the second paper of this series. This paper describes the design of the common-path optical system and the on-telescope WFS, and shows the on-sky commissioning results.
KEYWORDS: Sensors, Electronics, Staring arrays, Analog electronics, Digital filtering, Prisms, Signal processing, Radio astronomy, Signal detection, Electrons
As part of a new collaboration between CHARA and the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, we have developed a new detector system for the CLASSIC/CLIMB beam combiner of the CHARA Array. This detector is based on the Rockwell HAWAII-1 HgCdTe focal plane array and has lower readout noise (∼5 electrons) than the current PICNIC based system. Presently, CLASSIC/CLIMB observations at different wavelength bands can be made only successively by selecting individual filters in a filter wheel. Therefore, another upgrade goal is to install a non-deviating prism in order to image the H- and K’-band light onto separate detector pixels and to simultaneously observe in the H and K’ bands. The detector control electronics were built at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy. The goal was to achieve the lowest possible readout noise and electronic pick-up noise. The detector readout noise can be significantly reduced by the following approach: First, the analog detector output signal is processed by a moving boxcar filter consisting of an analog approximation of a finite impulse response filter with a response time adapted to the 10 MHz sample rate of an analog-to-digital converter. Second, a digital filter averages up to 1024 samples for each addressed pixel. This hybrid (analog plus digital) filter approach gives a unique flexibility of a programmable bandwidth for optimum noise reduction.
We initiated a multi-technique campaign to understand the physics and properties of the massive binary system MWC 314. Our observations included optical high-resolution spectroscopy and Johnson photometry, nearinfrared spectrophotometry, and K′−band long-baseline interferometry with the CHARA Array. Our results place strong constraints on the spectroscopic orbit, along with reasonable observations of the phase-locked photometric variability. Our interferometry, with input from the spectrophotometry, provides information on the geometry of the system that appears to consist of a primary star filling its Roche Lobe and loosing mass both onto a hidden companion and through the outer Lagrangian point, feeding a circumbinary disk. While the multi-faceted observing program is allowing us to place some constraints on the system, there is also a possibility that the outflow seen by CHARA is actually a jet and not a circumbinary disk.
The CHARA Array is a six telescope optical/IR interferometer run by the Center for High Angular Resolution
Astronomy of Georgia State University and is located at Mount Wilson Observatory just to the north of Los Angeles
California. The CHARA Array has the largest operational baselines in the world and has been in regular use for
scientific observations since 2004. In 2011 we received funding from the NSF to begin work on Adaptive Optics for our
six telescopes. Phase I of this project, fully funded by the NSF grant, consists of designing and building wavefront
sensors for each telescope that will also serve as tip/tilt detectors. Having tip/tilt at the telescopes, instead of in the
laboratory, will add several magnitudes of sensitivity to this system. Phase I also includes a slow wavefront sensor in the
laboratory to measure non-common path errors and small deformable mirrors in the laboratory to remove static and
slowly changing aberrations. Phase II of the project will allow us to place high-speed deformable mirrors at the
telescopes thereby enabling full closed loop operation. We are currently seeking funding for Phase II. This paper will
describe the scientific rational and design of the system and give the current status of the project.
The CHARA Array is a six-telescope optical/IR interferometer managed by the Center for High Angular Resolution
Astronomy of Georgia State University and located at Mount Wilson Observatory in the San Gabriel Mountains
overlooking Pasadena, California. The CHARA Array has the longest operational baselines in the world and has been in
regular use for scientific observations since 2005. In this paper we give an update of instrumentation improvements,
primarily focused on the beam combiner activity. The CHARA Array supports seven beam combiners: CHARA
CLASSIC, a two-way high-sensitivity K/H/J band system; CLIMB, a three-way K/H/J open-air combiner; FLUOR, a
two-way K-band high-precision system; MIRC, a four/six-way H/K-band imaging system; CHAMP, a six-way K-band
fringe tracker; VEGA, a four-way visible light high spectral resolution system; and PAVO, a three-way visible light high
sensitivity system. We also present an overview of science results obtained over the last few years, including some recent imaging results.
Rotation plays a crucial role in the shaping and evolution of a star. Widely incorporated into early and late-stage stellar models, rotational effects remain poorly understood in main-sequence stars, mainly due to the absence of observations challenging contemporary models. The Precision Astronomical Visible Observations (PAVO) instrument, located at the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) array, provides the highest angular resolution yet achieved (0.3 mas) for stars V=8 magnitude and brighter. We describe instrumental techniques and advances implemented in PAVO@CHARA to observe heavily resolved targets and yield well calibrated closure phases which are key milestones on the pathway to delivery of the first-ever image in the visible of fast-rotating main-sequence star.
KEYWORDS: Visibility, Interference (communication), Telescopes, Fringe analysis, Data analysis, Mirrors, Signal to noise ratio, Interferometry, Calibration, Camera shutters
The CHARA Array is a six telescope optical/IR interferometer run by the Center for High Angular Resolution
Astronomy of Georgia State University and is located at Mount Wilson Observatory just to the north of Los
Angeles California. The CHARA Array has the largest operational baselines in the world and has been in regular
use for scientific observations since 2004. Our most sensitive beam combiner capable of measuring closure phases
is the CLassic Interferometry with Multiple Baselines beam combiner known as CLIMB. In this paper we discuss
the design and layout of CLIMB with a particular focus on the data analysis methodology. This analysis is
presented in a very general form and will have applications in many other beam combiners. We also present
examples of on sky data showing the precision and stability of both amplitude and closure phase measurements.
In this paper, we review the current performance of the VEGA/CHARA visible spectrograph and make a review of
the most recent astrophysical results. The science programs take benefit of the exceptional angular resolution, the
unique spectral resolution and one of the main features of CHARA: Infrared and Visible parallel operation. We
also discuss recent developments concerning the tools for the preparation of observations and important features
of the data reduction software. A short discussion of the future developments will complete the presentation,
directed towards new detectors and possible new beam combination scheme for improved sensitivity and imaging
capabilities.
The efficiency of the CHARA Array has proven satisfactory for a wide variety of scientific programs enabled by the
first-generation beam combination and detector systems. With multi-beam combination and more ambitious scientific
goals, improvements in throughput and efficiency will be highly leveraged. Engineering data from several years of
nightly operations are used to infer atmospheric characteristics and raw instrumental visibility in both classic optical and
single-mode fiber beam combiners. This information is the basis for estimates of potential gains that could be afforded
by the implementation of adaptive optics. In addition to the very important partial compensation for higher order
atmosphere-induced wavefront errors, the benefits include reduction of static and quasi-static aberrations, reduction of
residual tilt error, compensation for differential atmospheric refraction, and reduction of diffractive beam propagation
losses, each leading to improved flux throughput and instrumental visibility, and to associated gains in operability and
scientific productivity.
The CHARA Array is a six-telescope optical/IR interferometer operated by the Center for High Angular Resolution
Astronomy of Georgia State University and is located at Mount Wilson Observatory just to the north of Los Angeles
California. The CHARA Array has the largest operational baselines in the world and has been in regular use for scientific
observations since 2004. In this paper we give an update of instrumentation improvements, primarily focused on the
beam combiner activity. The CHARA Array supports seven beam combiners: CHARA CLASSIC, a two-way high
sensitivity K/H/J band system; CLIMB, a three-way K/H/J open air combiner, FLUOR, a two-way K band high
precision system; MIRC, a four/six-way H/K band imaging system; CHAMP, a six way K band fringe tracker; VEGA, a
four way visible light high spectral resolution system; and PAVO, a three-way visible light high sensitivity system. The
paper will conclude with a review of science results obtained over the last few years, including our most recent imaging results.
This paper presents the current status of the VEGA (Visible spEctroGraph and polArimeter) instrument installed
at the coherent focus of the CHARA Array, Mount Wilson CA. Installed in september 2007, the first science
programs have started during summer 2008 and first science results are now published. Dedicated to high angular (0.3mas) and high spectral (R=30000) astrophysical studies, VEGA main objectives are the study of circumstellar environments of hot active stars or interactive binary systems and a large palette of new programs dedicated to fundamental stellar parameters. We will present successively the main characteristics of the instrument and its current performances in the CHARA environment, a short summary of two science programs and finally we will develop some studies showing the potential and difficulties of the 3 telescopes mode of VEGA/CHARA.
The efficiency of the CHARA Array has proven satisfactory for the scientific programs enabled by the first-generation
beam combination and detector systems. With multi-beam combination and more ambitious scientific goals,
improvements in throughput and efficiency will be highly leveraged. Engineering data from several years of nightly
operations are used to infer atmospheric characteristics and raw instrumental visibility in both classic optical and single-
mode fiber beam combiners. This information is the basis for estimates of potential gains that could be afforded by the
implementation of adaptive optics. This includes reduction of static and quasi-static aberrations, reduction of residual
tilt error, compensation for differential atmospheric refraction, reduction of diffractive beam propagation losses, each
leading to improved flux throughput and instrumental visibility, and to associated gains in operability and scientific
productivity.
The Precision Astronomical Visible Observations (PAVO) beam combiner is a new concept in visible beam
combination, recently commissioned at the CHARA array. By creating spatially-modulated fringes in a pupil
plane and then dispersing with an integral field unit, PAVO utilizes the full multi-r0 aperture of the CHARA
array over a standard 50% (630-950nm) bandwidth. In addition, minimal optimized spatial filtering ensures
calibration that is in principle as good as using single-mode fibers. We describe the design of and initial results
from the PAVO instrument.
The VEGA spectrograph and polarimeter has been recently integrated on the visible beams of the CHARA
Array. With a spectral resolution up to 35000 and thanks to operation at visible wavelengths, VEGA brings
unique capabilities in terms of spatial and spectral resolution to the CHARA Array. We will present the main
characteristics of VEGA on CHARA, some results concerning the performance and a preliminary analysis of the
first science run.
The CHARA Array is a six telescope optical/IR interferometer run by the Center for High Angular Resolution
Astronomy of Georgia State University (GSU) and is located at Mount Wilson Observatory just to the north of Los
Angeles, California. The CHARA Array has the largest operational baselines in the world and has been in regular use for
scientific observations since 2004. In this paper we give an update of instrumentation improvements, primarily focused
on the beam combiner activity. The CHARA Array supports seven beam combiners: CHARA CLASSIC, a two way
high sensitivity K/H band system; CLIMB, an upgrade to CLASSIC that includes closure phase measurements; FLUOR,
a two way K band high precision system; MIRC, a six way H/K band imaging system; CHAMP, a six way K band fringe
tracker; VEGA, a 4 way visible light high spectral resolution system; and PAVO, a 3 way visible light high sensitivity
system. The paper will conclude with a brief review of some science results obtained over the last few years.
We report the first scientific results from the Michigan Infrared Combiner (MIRC), including the first resolved
image of a main-sequence star besides the Sun. Using the CHARA Array, MIRC was able to clearly resolve the
well-known elongation of Altair's photosphere due to centrifugal distortion, and was also able to unambiguously
image the effect of gravity darkening. In this report, we also show preliminary images of the interacting binary
β Lyr and give an update of MIRC performance.
Extrasolar planetary systems are assumed as a sample to exhibit random orbital inclinations. The chance exists that a few of the 152 extrasolar planetary systems known to date may have face-on orbits for which the sin i factor will make a stellar-mass companion mimic a planetary-mass object. Such systems may thus harbor a late spectral type stellar companion instead of planets. Using Georgia State University's CHARA Array, we are undertaking an observing program on accessible extrasolar planetary systems that is expected to be completed in 2007. This effort will assist in culling the exoplanet list of some very low-inclination stellar interlopers that may be present. We will also determine the diameters of the central stars in an effort to refine our knowledge of the evolutionary status of the host stars.
KEYWORDS: Adaptive optics, Calibration, Point spread functions, Modulation transfer functions, Visibility, Telescopes, Interferometry, Signal to noise ratio, Deconvolution, Binary data
Aperture masking interferometry and Adaptive Optics (AO) are two of the competing technologies attempting
to recover diffraction-limited performance from ground-based telescopes. However, there are good arguments
that these techniques should be viewed as complementary, not competitive. Masking has been shown to deliver
superior PSF calibration, rejection of atmospheric noise and robust recovery of phase information through the use
of closure phases. However, this comes at the penalty of loss of flux at the mask, restricting the technique to bright
targets. Adaptive optics, on the other hand, can reach a fainter class of objects but suffers from the difficulty
of calibration of the PSF which can vary with observational parameters such as seeing, airmass and source
brightness. Here we present results from a fusion of these two techniques: placing an aperture mask downstream
of an AO system. The precision characterization of the PSF enabled by sparse-aperture interferometry can now
be applied to deconvolution of AO images, recovering structure from the traditionally-difficult regime within the
core of the AO-corrected transfer function. Results of this program from the Palomar and Keck adaptive optical
systems are presented.
Observational modes in which simultaneous high spatial and spectral information are recovered, without the complexity and expense of a dispersed detection system, have been discussed for some time. Sometimes called Double Fourier/Spatio-Spectral Interferometry (DFSSI), these methods fuse the concepts of Fourier Transform Spectrometry with high spatial resolution interferometry. The basic underlying principle comes from the idea that different spectral components, yielding different fringe frequencies, can be separated out in the fringe spectrum for individual study. However in practice, seeing fluctuations have the effect of shifting and blurring together the fringe frequencies making it difficult to isolate discrete spectral components. DFSSI has not been widely exploited in astronomical interferometry, due in part to such considerations. Here we propose a closely-related, although distinct technique which is the analog of DFSSI implemented in the spatial (delay) space rather than the time (frequency) domain. We propose the name Double-Fourier Spatio-Spectral Decoding to distinguish it from the latter. The technique relies on careful calibration of the fringe envelope shape, which is a function of the shape of the overall bandpass of the interferometer. We show that for astrophysical systems with interesting variations in spatial structure for neighboring spectral regions (such as stars with emission-line winds) that it is possible to untangle separate spatial and spectral components without a multi-channel dispersed fringe detector. The principle has been demonstrated successfully with observations of the prototype emission-line object P Cygni
at the CHARA array.
Georgia State University's Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) operates a multi-telescope, long-baseline, optical/infrared interferometric array on Mt. Wilson, California. We present a brief update on the status of this facility along with summaries of the first scientific results from the Array.
Georgia State University's Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) operates a multi-telescope, long-baseline, optical/infrared interferometric array on Mt. Wilson, California. We present an update on the status of this facility along with a sample of preliminary results from current scientific programs.
In this paper we describe the telescope optics, manufacturing tolerances and the geometric alignment procedure of the CHARA telescopes. We also report on our efforts to test and refine the alignment of the telescopes by implementing the curvature sensing method. The results of the first experiments on telescope W1 show that we can get consistent results with this method. We also found a slight distortion caused by the lateral support of the primary mirror.
Individually resolved packets produced by scans from the CHARA Interferometer Array for binary stars can be analyzed in terms of the astrometry of the binary without using visibilities. We considered various methods for finding the locations of the packets, including autocorrelation and Shift-and-Add, but our best results were obtained from a method of direct packet fitting.
This method was put to use in analyzing two data sets each for the stars 12 Persei and Beta Arietis respectively. These data were taken between Nov 6 and 15, 2001 with the CHARA Array 330 m E1-S1 baseline. Some 460 to 830 scans were taken in both directions with the auxiliary PZT, and seeing conditions were fair to poor for these runs (r0 ≈ 7 cm).
This procedure yielded a projected separation for each data set, with an intrinsic accuracy of 0.15 - 0.3 mas. This represents an order of magnitude improvement over speckle interferometry techniques. The orbits were refined by a maximum likelihood technique. In the case of 12 Per the semimajor axis obtained was α = 53.53 mas, compared with the previous orbit of 53.38 mas, a small increase of 0.27%, which implies a mass increase of 0.8%, an insignificant change for this well-established orbit. For Beta Arietis, we find that α = 35.62 versus the previous orbit's value of 36.00 mas. This is a 1.0% decrease, resulting in a mass decrease of 3.0% for this system.
Georgia State University's Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) operates a multi-telescope, long-baseline, optical/infrared interferometric array on Mt. Wilson, California. Since its inception, one of the primary scientific goals for the CHARA Array has been the resolution of spectroscopic binary stars, which offer tremendous potential for the determination of fundamental parameters for stars (masses, luminosities, radii and effective temperatures). A new bibliographic catalog of spectroscopic binary orbits, including a calculated estimate of the anticipated angular separation of the components, has been produced as an input catalog in planning observations with the Array. We briefly describe that catalog, which will be made available to the community on the Internet, prior to discussing observations obtained with our 330-m baseline during the fall of 2001 of the double-lined spectroscopic systems β Aur and β Tri. We also describe the initial results of an inspection of the extrasolar planetary system υ And.
During the 2001 observing season, the CHARA Array was in regular operation for a combined program of science, technical development, test, and commissioning. Interferometric science operations were carried out on baselines up to 330 meters -- the maximum available in the six-telescope array. This poster gives sample results obtained with the approximately north-south telescope pair designated S1-E1. At operating wavelengths in the K band, the 330 m baseline is well suited to diameter determinations for angular diameters in the range 0.6 - 1.2 milliarcseconds. This is a good
range for study of a wide range of hot stars. In this poster, angular
diameters for a set of A,B and F stars are compared to results derived from other sources. These confirm CHARA performance in the range 3-10% in visibility. The normal stars follow a normal spectral type - surface brightness relation, and a classical Be star deviates from the norm by an amount consistent with its apparent colors.
The CHARA Array consists of six 1-meter telescopes. The telescopes are at fixed positions laid out in a Y-shaped pattern, where the longest available baseline is 330 meters. The resolving power of this interferometric array operating at visible and short infrared wavelengths is better than one milli-arcsecond. The current infrared beam combination system is capable of combining the light from any two of the six telescopes in the array. With the existing infrared beam combination and detection system, we routinely observe in K and H band, where our magnitude limit is 6.
The CHARA Array is a six element optical and near infrared interferometer built by Georgia State University on Mount Wilson in California. It is currently operating in the K and H bands and has the largest baseline (330 m) in operation of any similar instrument in the world. We expect to begin I band operations in 2002. We will present an update of the status of the instrumentation in the Array and set out our plans for the near term expansion of the system.
We present results of our survey of faint companions to O-stars using the adaptive optics (AO) system on the 3.63-meter Advanced Electro-Optical System (AEOS) telescope at the summit of Haleakala, on the island of Maui. The AEOS telescope is part of the United States Air Force's Maui Space Surveillance Site.
We have surveyed most of the O-stars brighter than V magnitude 8.0 in the declination range of -25 to +65 degrees for faint companions. We are using the I-band (800 nm central wavelength, 150 nm approximate FWHM) for the survey. This is done for two reasons: 1) the distinctly red filter will de-emphasize the O-star primary and enhance the faint (presumably redder) secondary, increasing the dynamic range; and 2) using I-band allows all of the shorter wavelength light to be sent to the AO system, increasing its performance for fainter stars. We describe the scientific results of our survey as well as the reduction process we used to generate relative photometric results from a 12-bit frame transfer camera with no native ability to generate a bias frame.
The CHARA Array employs vacuum light pipes between the telescopes and the beam combination area. The complex terrain of the Mt. Wilson site poses interesting problems, with light pipes both underground and suspended up to 10 meters above ground. Telescope to beam-combination distances are up to about 180 meters. The support scheme and alignment strategy will be described.
Georgia State University's Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) is building an interferometric array of telescopes for high resolution imaging at optical and infrared wavelengths. The `CHARA Array' consists of six 1-m diameter telescopes arranged in a Y-shaped configuration with a maximum baseline of approximately 350 m. Construction of the facility will be completed during 2000, and the project will enter a phase in which beam combination subsystems will be brought on line concurrently with initial scientific investigations. This paper provides an update on recent progress, including our reaching the significant milestone of `first fringes' in November 1999. An extensive collection of project technical reports and images are available at our website.
The CHARA array achieved first fringes late last year and is currently being expanded on Mount Wilson CA. This presentation is a follow on from the overview given by Hal McAlister and will give more technical detail on the optical systems, with a focus on the telescopes, the delay lines, the control system, and the beam combining scheme. Combining more than three beams is not a simple problem with no obvious best solution, and we have by no means locked ourselves into a particular design. Preliminary designs will be shown, the first beam combiner will also be discussed along with our plans for future development.
During 1996 and 1997 more than 20 nights observing time have been used by, or allocated to, the CHARPA group at Georgia State University using the Mount Wilson Institute Adaptive Optics mounted on the Hooker 100 inch telescope on Mt. Wilson. Several scientific programs are being pursued including: differential photometry of binary stars; a search for faint companions of local solar type stars; attempts to image dust shells around YSOs; and experiments involving the combination of non-redundant aperture masking interferometry and adaptive optics. We have learned, and continue to learn, a great deal about the problems associated with, and methods of calibration of, adaptive optics images, especially in the area of accurate photometric measurements. So far, more than 30 binary systems have been measured in multiple filters and several previously unknown faint companions to local stars have been identified.
The telescope requirements of optical interferometry are somewhat different from conventional astronomy. The need for multiple units (in the CHARA case initially five, eventually seven) accentuates the importance of cost control, and at the same time provides opportunity for cost savings by careful procurement and production practices. Modern ideas about telescope enclosures offer significantly reduced dome seeing, but it is difficult to capture these benefits at low cost. The CHARA group has followed a series of design and bid procedures intended to optimize the costperformance of the telescope+enclosures. These have led to a compact but massive telescope design, blending modern and classical features, an unusual mirror blank selection process (directly ompeting several mirror blank technologies) , and a novel telescope enclosure concept which allows a continuous trade between wind protection and natural ventilation. This contribution will review and motivate the design decisions and show the resulting equipment and facilities.
Traditional methods of data collection in active fringe tracking Michelson stellar interferometers involve logging and analyzing the signal within the fringe tracking system for the scientific information about the object being observed. While these methods are robust and have produced excellent scientific results, they become more problematic as next-generation Michelson stellar interferometers are built with more telescopes and the aim of performing routine imaging. The Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array is one such next-generation instrument presently under construction on Mt. Wilson, north of Los Angeles, California. The CHARA array will feature a separation of the tasks of active fringe tracking and imaging. In anticipation of the advantages afforded by the task separation, a prototype imager was developed. The prototype imager employs single-mode fiber optic strands to convey the light form simulated telescopes to a smaller, non-redundant, remapped pupil plane, which in turn feeds a low resolution prism spectrograph. The spectrograph features two cylindrical optical elements whose net effect is to focus the light to a smaller plate scale in the spectral dimension than in the orthogonal spatial dimension.
The Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) at Georgia State University is building an
interferometric array of telescopes for high resolution imaging at optical and infrared wavelengths. The "CHARA Array" will initially consist offive 1-rn diameter telescopes arranged in a Y-shaped configuration with a maximum baseline of approximately 350 m. The facility is being constructed on Mt. Wilson, near Pasadena, California, a site noted for stable atmospheric conditions that often gives rise to exceptional image quality. The Array will be capable of submilliarcsecond imaging and will be devoted to a broad program of science aimed at fundamental stellar astrophysics in the visible and the astrophysics of young stellar objects in the infrared (2.2μm) spectral regions. This project is being funded in approximately 50/50% shares by Georgia State University and the National Science Foundation. The CHARA Array is expected to become operational during 1999. This paper presents a project status report. An extensive collection of project reports and images are available at our website (http://www.chara.gsu.edu).
The Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) at Georgia State University is building an interferometric array of telescopes for high resolution imaging at optical and infrared wavelengths. The 'CHARA Array' will initially consist of five 1-m diameter telescopes arranged in a Y-shaped configuration with a maximum baseline of approximately 350 m. The facility will be located on Mt. Wilson, near Pasadena, California, a site noted for its stable atmoshperic conditions that often gives rise to exceptional image quality. The Array will be capable of submilliarcsecond imaging and will be devoted to a broad program of science aimed at fundamental stellar astrophysics in the visible and the astrophysics of young stellar objects in the infrared (2.2 micrometers ) spectral regions. This project has been supported by the National Sceince Foundation through Phase A feasibility and Phase B preliminary design stages, and NSF awarded 5.6 million dollars towards the construction of the facility in October 1994. Georgia State University is committed to providing an additional 5.8 million dollars in construction funds. The CHARA Array is expected to be operational late this decade. This paper will provide a summary overview of the project.
The CHARA array is an optical and IR imaging array of seven 1-m aperture telescopes with a Y-shaped configuration contained within a 400-m diameter circle. The facility will be capable of submilliarcsecond imaging and will be devoted to a broad program of science aimed at fundamental stellar astrophysics in the visible and the astrophysics of young stellar objects in the infrared spectral regions. The concept for the array has been carried through Phase A feasibility and Phase B preliminary design stages with funding provided by the National Science Foundation. This paper will provide a progress report on the status of the project.
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