Active optics for alignment of long-baseline interferometers
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
Long-baseline astronomical interferometers require adaptive optics to correct the rapid wavefront perturbations of the atmosphere but also active optics to correct slow drifts in the optical train of many mirrors from the telescopes to the beam combiners. This project is to prototype an active optics system for the Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer to achieve precision alignmnent of the beam train on an intra-night basis.
People |
ORCID iD |
| David Buscher (Primary Supervisor) | |
| James Luis (Student) |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST/N50399X/1 | 01/10/2015 | 31/03/2021 | |||
| 1805201 | Studentship | ST/N50399X/1 | 01/10/2016 | 31/03/2020 | James Luis |
| Description | Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer |
| Organisation | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | My research group at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, is collaborating with New Mexico Tech, US to build the Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer. This is an upcoming facility for research in astrophysics but has a dual purpose in the high-resolution imaging of geostationary satellites. In the second half of 2019 I participated in two commissioning trips to install hardware that I had designed and tested at my home institution. This equipment served to validate the performance of the first beam line of the interferometer. Consequently, I was part of the team that achieved the milestone of first star light on a detector at this facility. Equipment funding for these endeavours has been sourced predominantly from a grant set up from this collaboration. Two senior members of my team provide technical expertise for the collaboration since they are system architects for the project and have practical experience of building and observing with astronomical interferometers. Several other team members are responsible for a few critical subsystems of the facility, again having had experience in building astronomical instrumentation for optical interferometers and other optical telescopes. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our collaborators are the host institution of the facility and are in charge of its day-to-day operation. While they also take ownership of several hardware subsystems, they also provide the majority of the software effort because they have a dedicated team of software developers. |
| Impact | The interferometer is well on its way to becoming operational. The URL above shows some press coverage as a result of recent commissioning efforts -- reporting of these technical milestones helps with public engagement. The next milestone will be in early 2021 when the star light collected from two telescopes will be combined to form interference fringes for the first time. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Physics at Work open day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | [copied directly from website] The primary aim of the exhibition is to stimulate interest and encourage wider participation in physics amongst 14-16 year olds by showcasing the many and varied ways in which physics is used in the everyday world. This event is open to all schools and is free (there is a £1 per student refundable deposit). The exhibition is run in a similar way each year, based upon interaction between active scientific researchers and potential scientists. This will help to spread the excitement of modern physics research to students who will soon be making career and examination choices, and is a vital component in encouraging the next generation of scientists. The Physics at Work Exhibition runs over three days, with two sessions on each day. This event is centred around approximately 25 exhibitors, and is held at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge. Some of the exhibitors are from Research Groups within the Cavendish Laboratory and the others are from industry, including companies such as Rolls-Royce Plc., Domino Printing Services and The Technology Partnership. Each half-day session has a capacity for about 450 students. The students are split into small groups of around 15 and are accompanied by a teacher as they follow a route defined by the organisers. Each small group, with its teacher, visits six exhibits over a period of about three hours, including a short break halfway through. Each exhibit usually consists of a short presentation, practical demonstrations, an opportunity for hands-on involvement and time for asking questions. A booklet of information is provided to support the exhibition, allowing teachers to bring ideas back into their lessons later in the year. This structured approach has developed over time and allows the students to engage thoroughly with the science on display. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | Pre-2006,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018 |
| URL | https://outreach.phy.cam.ac.uk/programme/physicsatwork |
| Description | Postgraduate Open Day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Postgraduate open day for students to gather an insight into what it's like to work as a graduate student in the physics department. Each research group presents their work using a poster. Academic staff and current students are on hand to answer questions. I met candidates from around the world. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | Pre-2006,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018 |
| URL | https://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/students/admissions/graduate |