Imaging through turbulence with a quadrature-phase optical interferometer

Brian Kern, Paul E. Dimotakis, Chris Martin, Daniel B. Lang, Rachel N. Thessin
2005 Applied Optics  
We present an improved technique for imaging through turbulence at visible wavelengths using a rotation shearing pupil-plane interferometer, intended for astronomical and terrestrial imaging applications. While previous astronomical rotation shearing interferometers have made only visibility modulus measurements, this interferometer makes four simultaneous measurements on each interferometric baseline, with phase differences of ͞2 between each measurement, allowing complex visibility
more » ... s (modulus and phase) across the entire input pupil in a single exposure. This technique offers excellent wavefront resolution, allowing operation at visible wavelengths on large apertures, is potentially immune to amplitude fluctuations (scintillation), and may offer superior calibration capabilities to other imaging techniques. The interferometer has been tested in the laboratory under weakly aberrating conditions and at Palomar Observatory under ordinary astronomical observing conditions. This research is based partly on observations obtained at the Hale Telescope.
doi:10.1364/ao.44.007424 pmid:16353815 fatcat:ub5jhbkdnvcm3j5deb34fngcke