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Colloquium of the Department of Physics & Astronomy
09 November 2000
"A New Strategy for Deep Wide-Field High Resolution Optical Imaging"
PROF. NICK KAISER
Institute for Astronomy, UHM
Watanabe Hall, Room 112
3:15 pm - Informal gathering & light refreshments
3:30 pm - Main Speaker
Abstract
Deep optical imaging surveys are being used to address problems ranging
from 'killer asteroids' to the dark matter distribution and the expansion
rate of the Universe. Such surveys are limited by solid angle, depth, and
by the `atmospheric seeing' which limits the angular resolution.
Conventional adaptive optics provides spectacular image quality, but only
over a limited field of view around the guide star, since widely separated
objects probe independent paths through the atmosphere. Here I shall
describe a technique which allows more modest image compensation, but over
wide fields of view. The plan is to use an array of small telescopes with
image tracking to take out the atmospheric jiggling of the images. Novel
features of the approach are the use of an electronic 'rubber focal plane'
which allows one to track the image motions at all points in the field,
and the combination of guide star motion data from the array of telescopes
which is needed to make this work.
This approach would allow one to construct a system with collecting area
equivalent to a large single aperture telescope, with a degree-scale field
of view, but with images about a factor 3 sharper than for a conventional
design.
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Copyright © 2000 University of Hawai'i
Last Reviewed: 8/11/00
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