Optical drift test of the long delay line stations on the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer

James H. Clark III; James Murphy; Long Ha; Joshua P. Walton; James Howard; J. Thomas Armstrong; G. Charmaine Gilbreath; Robert B. Hindsley; Thomas A. Pauls

doi:10.1117/12.550889

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20 October 2004 Optical drift test of the long delay line stations on the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer

James H. Clark III, James Murphy, Long Ha, Joshua P. Walton, James Howard, J. Thomas Armstrong, G. Charmaine Gilbreath, Robert B. Hindsley, Thomas A. Pauls

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Proceedings Volume 5491, New Frontiers in Stellar Interferometry; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.550889
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2004, Glasgow, United Kingdom

Abstract

At the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer (NPOI), during stellar fringe acquisition and tracking, optical stations along the NPOI vacuum line array remain in passive mode. Optical drift amplitude and rate must remain below certain limits lest stellar acquisition and fringe tracking become unachievable. Subsequent to each observation, relay mirrors are reconfigured within the long delay line stations to provide appropriate constant delays. The placement of these mirrors must be reliable and repeatable within certain tolerances. We describe the results of drift tests conducted on the current long delay line stations.

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James H. Clark III, James Murphy, Long Ha, Joshua P. Walton, James Howard, J. Thomas Armstrong, G. Charmaine Gilbreath, Robert B. Hindsley, and Thomas A. Pauls "Optical drift test of the long delay line stations on the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer", Proc. SPIE 5491, New Frontiers in Stellar Interferometry, (20 October 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.550889

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