Magdalena Ridge expands the capacity of optical interferometers

The Magdalena Ridge Observatory has purchased a second-generation off-axis beam compressor from Optical Surface, which will expand the functionality of the facility's optical interferometer.

Interferometer is a research tool that combines two or more light sources to create interference patterns that can be measured and analyzed. In astronomy, interferometers combine the light collected by multiple telescopes, allowing them to function together as a larger "virtual telescope". The light waves emitted by each telescope are combined together to make them brighter. Interferometry can provide a more detailed view of darker objects.

The mission of the Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer Project is to develop a ten element imaging interferometer with a working wavelength between 0.6 and 2.4 microns and a baseline of 7.8 to 340 meters. The technical and scientific goal of interferometers is to generate images of weak and complex astronomical targets independent of the model at a resolution of over 100 times that of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Dr. Michelle Creech Eakman, a physics professor at MRO, commented: In order to minimize the diffraction effect of long-distance propagation, the original 7.5x off-axis beam compressor provided by Optical Surface was designed to allow for a reduction in the size of a 95mm star beam for final division between instruments on the telescope. Due to the excellent performance of this optical system, we decided to obtain a single source of three second-generation beam compressors from the optical surface, which provide a better field of view to help dry Involving alignment. These beam compressors will be key components in MROI as they will enable us to operate in smaller beam spaces outside the vacuum system. We hope to obtain the first batch of margins in the first half of 2024.

Dr. Aris Kouris, Sales Director of Optical Surface, added: Our beam compressor for MROI is located in the Magdalena Mountains at an altitude of 10600 feet, with significant temperature changes. This means that we need to incorporate invar element rods into the beam compressor design to improve heating stability. Our beam compressor uses high-precision off-axis mirrors, which can provide unobstructed output and efficient transmission. The beam compressor reduces the diameter of the collimated input beam to a smaller collimated output light The preferred optical tool for beams.

Source: Laser Net