Engineering topics
Liewer, K.
Publications and source records attributed to Liewer, K..
Deep Broad-Band Infrared Nulling Using A Single-Mode Fiber Beam Combiner and Baseline Rotation
The basic advantage of single-mode fibers for deep nulling applications resides in their spatial filtering ability, and has now long been known. However, and as suggested more recently, a single-mode fiber can also be used for direct coherent recombination of spatially separated beams, i.e. in a 'multi-axial' nulling scheme. After the first successful demonstration of deep (<2e-6) visible LASER nulls using this technique (Haguenauer & Serabyn, Applied Optics 2006), we decided to work on an infrared extension for ground based astronomical observations, e.g. using two or more off-axis sub-apertures of a large ground based telescope. In preparation for such a system, we built and tested a laboratory infrared fiber nuller working in a wavelength regime where atmospheric turbulence can be efficiently corrected, over a pass band (approx.1.5 to 1.8 micron) broad enough to provide reasonable sensitivity. In addition, since no snapshot images are readily accessible with a (single) fiber nuller, we also tested baseline rotation as an approach to detect off-axis companions while keeping a central null. This modulation technique is identical to the baseline rotation envisioned for the TPF-I space mission. Within this context, we report here on early laboratory results showing deep stable broad-band dual polarization infrared nulls <5e-4 (currently limited by detector noise), and visible LASER nulls better than 3e-4 over a 360 degree rotation of the baseline. While further work will take place in the laboratory to achieve deeper stable broad-band nulls and test off-axis sources detection through rotation, the emphasis will be put on bringing such a system to a telescope as soon as possible. Detection capability at the 500:1 contrast ratio in the K band (~2.2 microns) seem readily accessible within 50-100 mas of the optical axis, even with a first generation system mounted on a >5m AO equipped telescope such as the Palomar Hale 200 inch, the Keck, Subaru or Gemini telescopes.
Method for measuring centroid algorithm accuracy
This paper will describe such a method for measuring the accuracy of centroid algorithms using a relatively inexpensive setup consisting of a white light source, lenses, a CCD camea, an electro-strictive actuator, and a DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter), and employing embedded PowerPC, VxWorks, and Solaris based software.
Wavefront tilt feedforward for the formation interferometer testbad (FIT)
Separated spacecraft interferometry is a candidate architecture for several future NASA missions. The Formation Interferometer Testbed (FIT) is a ground based testbed dedicated to the validation of this key technology for a formation of two spacecraft. In separated spacecraft interferometry, the residual relative motion of the component spacecraft must be compensated for by articulation of the optical components. In this paper, the design of the FIT interferometer pointing control system is described. This control system is composed of a metrology pointing loop that maintains an optical link between the two spacecraft and two stellar pointing loops for stabilizing the stellar wavefront at both the right and left apertures of the instrument. A novel feedforward algorithm is used to decouple the metrology loop from the left side stellar loop. Experimental results from the testbed are presented that verify this approach and that fully demonstrate the performance of the algorithm.
Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) instrumentation
We will report on the details of the ANITA instrument. This instrument is fundamentally a broadband antenna, which is arrayed and constructed in such a way as to be optimized for the detection and characterization of high-energy neutrino cascades.
Overview of the ANITA project
The ANITA project is designed to investigate ultra-high energy (>10^17 eV) cosmic ray interactions throughout the universe by detecting the neutrinos created in those interactions. These high energy neutrinos are detectable through their interactions within the Antarctic ice sheet, which ANITA will use as a detector target that effectively converts the neutrino interactions to radio pulses. This paper will give an overview of the project including scientific objectives, detection description and mission design.
Goldstone lunar neutrino search
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Initial Results from a Search for Lunar Radio Emission from Interactions of >10***sup19*** eV Neutrinos and Cosmic Rays
We report here initial limits based on data which strongly constrain several predictions of the flux of EHE neutrinos.
Evaluation of a virtual phase charged-coupled device as an imaging X-ray spectrometer
The X-ray response of an 800 x 800 Texas Instruments virtual phase charge-coupled device (CCD) has been measured in the range 1-8 keV. In the single-photon counting mode, excellent energy resolution (approximately 250 eV FWHM is found for single-pixel Fe-55 X-ray events at a spatial resolution of 15 microns. The detector quantum efficiency for all events is 65% at 2.3 keV (S K line) and approximately 34% at 5.9 keV (Mn K line from Fe-55). The CCD response is linear in energy to a few percent over the 1-8 keV energy range. These results demonstrate that virtual phase CCDs are superior imaging X-ray spectrometers with applications for X-ray astronomy and laboratory plasma research.
Performance of single photon-counting X-ray charge coupled devices
Results of intial performance tests on X-ray sensing properties of charge-coupled devices (CCDs) are presented. CCDs have demonstrated excellent spatial resolution and good spectral resolution, superior to that of non-imaging proportional counters.