TY - GEN
T1 - Sparse aperture masking (SAM) at NAOS/CONICA on the VLT
AU - Tuthill, Peter
AU - Lacour, Sylvestre
AU - Amico, Paola
AU - Ireland, Michael
AU - Norris, Barnaby
AU - Stewart, Paul
AU - Evans, Tom
AU - Kraus, Adam
AU - Lidman, Christopher
AU - Pompei, Emanuela
AU - Kornweibel, Nicholas
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - The new operational mode of aperture masking interferometry has been added to the CONICA camera which lies downstream of the Adaptive Optics (AO) corrected focus provided by NAOS on the VLT-UT4 telescope. Masking has been shown to deliver superior PSF calibration, rejection of atmospheric noise and robust recovery of phase information through the use of closure phases. Over the resolution range from about half to several resolution elements, masking interferometry is presently unsurpassed in delivering high fidelity imaging and direct detection of faint companions. Here we present results from commissioning data using this powerful new operational mode, and discuss the utility for masking in a variety of scientific contexts. Of particular interest is the combination of the CONICA polarimetry capabilities together with SAM mode operation, which has revealed structures never seen before in the immediate circumstellar environments of dusty evolved stars.
AB - The new operational mode of aperture masking interferometry has been added to the CONICA camera which lies downstream of the Adaptive Optics (AO) corrected focus provided by NAOS on the VLT-UT4 telescope. Masking has been shown to deliver superior PSF calibration, rejection of atmospheric noise and robust recovery of phase information through the use of closure phases. Over the resolution range from about half to several resolution elements, masking interferometry is presently unsurpassed in delivering high fidelity imaging and direct detection of faint companions. Here we present results from commissioning data using this powerful new operational mode, and discuss the utility for masking in a variety of scientific contexts. Of particular interest is the combination of the CONICA polarimetry capabilities together with SAM mode operation, which has revealed structures never seen before in the immediate circumstellar environments of dusty evolved stars.
KW - Adaptive Optics
KW - Aperture Masking
KW - High Contrast Companions
KW - Optical Interfereometric Polarimetry
KW - Optical Interferometry
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=78149265276&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1117/12.856806
DO - 10.1117/12.856806
M3 - Conference contribution
SN - 9780819482259
T3 - Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
BT - Ground-Based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III
T2 - Ground-Based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III
Y2 - 27 June 2010 through 2 July 2010
ER -