Active optics concepts for hypertelescope aberration control and pupil densification

摘要

One of the instrumental concepts under study for large baseline interferometers for high resolution astronomical imaging, in particular applied to exoplanet search and characterisation, is the hypertelescope (HT). Mainly considered for space deployment, this sparse array of mirror segments supported either by a struss structure or by free-flying micro satellites form a giant, diluted primary mirror. The focal plane instrumentation, including pupil densification optics, is located in the primary focus instrument space craft (ISC). Baselines considered for first-generation HTs are of the order of 100 m, but one can envisage kilometric arrays capable of unprecedented angular resolution. Pointing with such a telescope poses orbital navigation problems. Letting the entire array perform a slow sky-scanning motion and navigating the ISC within the primary focal plane in order to follow the image of the object may solve these problems. The ISC must therefore be equipped with aberration correction optics capable of covering a sufficiently large primary field of view, of the order of a few degrees. In this paper we present optical and mechanical concepts for combined aberration correction and pupil densification using multimode deformable mirror (MDM) and mechanically amplified piezo actuator technologies. Among the advantages of such a system over large monolithic corrector optics is the relaxation of piston alignment requirements for primary segments.