First images on the sky from a hyper telescope

Abstract

We show star images obtained with a miniature ``densified pupil imaging interferometer'' also called a hyper-telescope. The formation of such images violates a ``golden rule of imaging interferometers'' which appeared to forbid the use of interferometric arrangements differing from a Fizeau interferometer. These produce useless images when the sub-apertures spacing is much wider than their size, owing to diffraction through the sub-apertures. The hyper-telescope arrangement solves these problems opening the way towards multi-kilometer imaging arrays in space. We experimentally obtain an intensity gain of 24 +- 3X when a densified-pupil interferometer is compared to an equivalent Fizeau-type interferometer and show images of the double star alpha Gem. The initial results presented confirm the possibility of directly obtaining high resolution and high dynamic range images in the recombined focal plane of a large interferometer if enough elements are used.

6 pages, LaTeX, standard A&A macros + BibTeX macros. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplements

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Direct imaging with highly diluted apertures. I. Field of view limitations
• Modern optical astronomy: technology and impact of interferometry
• A Nulling Wide Field Imager for Exoplanets Detection and General Astrophysics
• Towards Laser-Guide-Stars for Multi-Aperture Interferometry: an application to the Hypertelescope
• Phase-shifting technique for improving the imaging capacity of sparse-aperture optical interferometers
• Setting the Stage for the Planet Formation Imager
• Planet Formation Imager: Project Update
• Visibility retrieval in Michelson wide-field stellar interferometry