LINC-NIRVANA for the large binocular telescope: setting up the world’s largest near infrared binoculars for astronomy

Ralph Hofferbert; Harald Baumeister; Thomas Bertram; Jürgen Berwein; Peter Bizenberger; Armin Böhm; Michael Böhm; José Luis Borelli; Matthieu Brangier; Florian Briegel; Albert R. Conrad; Fulvio De Bonis; Roman Follert; Thomas M. Herbst; Armin Huber; Frank Kittmann; Martin Kürster; Werner Laun; Ulrich Mall; Daniel Meschke; Lars Mohr; Vianak Naranjo; Aleksei Pavlov; Jorg-Uwe Pott; Hans-Walter Rix; Ralf-Rainer Rohloff; Eva Schinnerer; Clemens Storz; Jan Trowitzsch; Zhaojun Yan; Xianyu Zhang; Andreas Eckart; Matthew Horrobin; Steffen Rost; Christian Straubmeier; Imke Wank; Jens Zuther; Udo Beckmann; Claus Connot; Matthias Heininger; Karl-Heinz Hofmann; Tim Kroner; Edmund Nussbaum; Dieter Schertl; Gerd P. Weigelt; Maria Bergomi; Alessandro Brunelli; Marco Dima; Jacopo Farinato; Demetrio Magrin; Luca Marafatto; Roberto Ragazzoni; Valentina Viotto; Carmelo Arcidiacono; Giovanni Bregoli; Paolo Ciliegi; Giuseppe Cosentino; Emiliano Diolaiti; Italo Foppiani; Matteo Lombini; Laura Schreiber; Francesco D'Alessio; Gianluca Li Causi; Dario Lorenzetti; Fabrizio Vitali; Mario Bertero; Patrizia Boccacci; Andrea La Camera

doi:10.1117/1.OE.52.8.081602

6 February 2013 LINC-NIRVANA for the large binocular telescope: setting up the world’s largest near infrared binoculars for astronomy

Ralph Hofferbert, Harald Baumeister, Thomas Bertram, Jürgen Berwein, Peter Bizenberger, Armin Böhm, Michael Böhm, José Luis Borelli, Matthieu Brangier, Florian Briegel, Albert R. Conrad, Fulvio De Bonis, Roman Follert, Thomas M. Herbst, Armin Huber, Frank Kittmann, Martin Kürster, Werner Laun, Ulrich Mall, Daniel Meschke, Lars Mohr, Vianak Naranjo, Aleksei Pavlov, Jorg-Uwe Pott, Hans-Walter Rix, Ralf-Rainer Rohloff, Eva Schinnerer, Clemens Storz, Jan Trowitzsch, Zhaojun Yan, Xianyu Zhang, Andreas Eckart, Matthew Horrobin, Steffen Rost, Christian Straubmeier, Imke Wank, Jens Zuther, Udo Beckmann, Claus Connot, Matthias Heininger, Karl-Heinz Hofmann, Tim Kroner, Edmund Nussbaum, Dieter Schertl, Gerd P. Weigelt, Maria Bergomi, Alessandro Brunelli, Marco Dima, Jacopo Farinato, Demetrio Magrin, Luca Marafatto, Roberto Ragazzoni, Valentina Viotto, Carmelo Arcidiacono, Giovanni Bregoli, Paolo Ciliegi, Giuseppe Cosentino, Emiliano Diolaiti, Italo Foppiani, Matteo Lombini, Laura Schreiber, Francesco D'Alessio, Gianluca Li Causi, Dario Lorenzetti, Fabrizio Vitali, Mario Bertero, Patrizia Boccacci, Andrea La Camera

Author Affiliations +

Optical Engineering, Vol. 52, Issue 8, 081602 (February 2013). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.52.8.081602

Abstract

LINC-NIRVANA (LN) is the near-infrared, Fizeau-type imaging interferometer for the large binocular telescope (LBT) on Mt. Graham, Arizona (elevation of 3267 m). The instrument is currently being built by a consortium of German and Italian institutes under the leadership of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany. It will combine the radiation from both 8.4 m primary mirrors of LBT in such a way that the sensitivity of a 11.9 m telescope and the spatial resolution of a 22.8 m telescope will be obtained within a 10.5×10.5 arcsec² scientific field of view. Interferometric fringes of the combined beams are tracked in an oval field with diameters of 1 and 1.5 arcmin. In addition, both incoming beams are individually corrected by LN’s multiconjugate adaptive optics system to reduce atmospheric image distortion over a circular field of up to 6 arcmin in diameter. A comprehensive technical overview of the instrument is presented, comprising the detailed design of LN’s four major systems for interferometric imaging and fringe tracking, both in the near infrared range of 1 to 2.4 μm, as well as atmospheric turbulence correction at two altitudes, both in the visible range of 0.6 to 0.9 μm. The resulting performance capabilities and a short outlook of some of the major science goals will be presented. In addition, the roadmap for the related assembly, integration, and verification process are discussed. To avoid late interface-related risks, strategies for early hardware as well as software interactions with the telescope have been elaborated. The goal is to ship LN to the LBT in 2014.

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Ralph Hofferbert, Harald Baumeister, Thomas Bertram, Jürgen Berwein, Peter Bizenberger, Armin Böhm, Michael Böhm, José Luis Borelli, Matthieu Brangier, Florian Briegel, Albert R. Conrad, Fulvio De Bonis, Roman Follert, Thomas M. Herbst, Armin Huber, Frank Kittmann, Martin Kürster, Werner Laun, Ulrich Mall, Daniel Meschke, Lars Mohr, Vianak Naranjo, Aleksei Pavlov, Jorg-Uwe Pott, Hans-Walter Rix, Ralf-Rainer Rohloff, Eva Schinnerer, Clemens Storz, Jan Trowitzsch, Zhaojun Yan, Xianyu Zhang, Andreas Eckart, Matthew Horrobin, Steffen Rost, Christian Straubmeier, Imke Wank, Jens Zuther, Udo Beckmann, Claus Connot, Matthias Heininger, Karl-Heinz Hofmann, Tim Kroner, Edmund Nussbaum, Dieter Schertl, Gerd P. Weigelt, Maria Bergomi, Alessandro Brunelli, Marco Dima, Jacopo Farinato, Demetrio Magrin, Luca Marafatto, Roberto Ragazzoni, Valentina Viotto, Carmelo Arcidiacono, Giovanni Bregoli, Paolo Ciliegi, Giuseppe Cosentino, Emiliano Diolaiti, Italo Foppiani, Matteo Lombini, Laura Schreiber, Francesco D'Alessio, Gianluca Li Causi, Dario Lorenzetti, Fabrizio Vitali, Mario Bertero, Patrizia Boccacci, and Andrea La Camera "LINC-NIRVANA for the large binocular telescope: setting up the world’s largest near infrared binoculars for astronomy," Optical Engineering 52(8), 081602 (6 February 2013). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.52.8.081602

Published: 6 February 2013

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