Imaging Geostationary Satellites with a Common-Mount Interferometer: Image Quality and Fringe Tracking.

摘要

Imaging geostationary satellites is difficult because they are both too large and too small. They are too small to resolve with existing ground-based single telescopes, and they are too large (and too faint) to resolve with existing ground-based interferometers. Earth-rotation synthesis also does not work with geostationary satellites. We have designed a common-mount telescopes which we believe is the right instrument for geostationary satellite imaging, and described it previously in a number of publications (e.g. AMOS papers Mozurkewich et al. 2011 Jorgensen et al. 2011, Schmitt et al. 2011, and others). In this paper we will provide an overview of the instrument and explore its capabilities in more detail, using a typical geostationary satellite as an example. Specifically we will look at the fringe-tracking capability which is required for phase measurement and thus imaging. We will also look at the required integration time and its relationship to fringe- tracking capability and image quality.