Based on the success of four-telescope imaging with the Michigan Infrared Combiner (MIRC) on the CHARA
Array, our Michigan-based group will now upgrade our system to combine all six CHARA telescope simultaneously.
In order to make this observationally efficient, we have had to improve a number of subsystems and
commission new ones, including the new CHAMP fringe tracker, the introduction of photometric channels, the
upgrading of the realtime operating systems, and the obvious hardware and software upgrades of the control
system and the data pipeline. Here we will discuss the advantages of six-telescope operation, outline our upgrade
plans and discuss our current progress.
Integrated optics can provide compact and robust solutions for ground and space-based interferometry by integrating optical devices with different functionalities, such as spatial filters, combiners/nullers, and phase modulators, on a single chip. Lithium niobate (LiNbO3) has two distinct advantages over silica-based technologies, including good transparency further into the near-infrared (covering J, H, K, and L bands) and the ability to support electrically-controlled phase modulation through the linear electro-optic (EO) effect. The design, fabrication and preliminary tests of integrated optic components on LiNbO3 substrates for astronomical beam combiners operating in the H and L bands is reported. The components include single-mode waveguides of sufficient length for spatial filtering, symmetric junctions for wavelength insensitive power splitters/combiners, and electro-optic waveguide modulators for path-length control.
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