US-France Cooperative Research: An Integrated Optics Beam Combiner for the CHARA Array

这个为期三年的奖项支持美国和法国在乔治亚州立大学和格勒诺布尔天文台的光学长基线干涉测量天文学方面的合作。哈罗德·a·麦卡利斯特领导着这个美国小组，小组成员包括美国国家光学天文台的斯蒂芬·t·里奇韦、乔治亚州立大学的西奥·a·滕·布鲁梅拉尔和几名研究生。格勒诺布尔天文台天体物理实验室的天文学家让-菲利普·伯杰领导了这个法国小组。这个美法联合项目的目的是开发和验证新一代仪器，该仪器能够结合位于加利福尼亚州威尔逊山的高分辨率天文学中心（CHARA）的六个望远镜的光。新仪器将以格勒诺布尔天文台开发的技术为基础。这项技术可以用一个光学“芯片”取代几十个精密制造和排列的光学元件。美国小组将开发同时操作6台望远镜所需的子系统（包括双向条纹稳定），将领导波束合并实验室的设计，并将开发光学和电子接口。格勒诺布尔小组在使用集成光学技术的组合系统上的工作补充了这一点。目标是在第一年内在CHARA阵列上获得集成光学光束组合的第一次空中演示，并在拨款期结束时获得完整阵列的第一张图像。该奖项代表了美国方面向美国国家科学基金会和法国国家科学研究中心（CNRS）联合提出的建议。美国国家科学基金会将支付美国研究人员和学生的旅费和生活费。CNRS将支持法国研究人员的访问。

0233138McAlisterThis three-year award supports U.S.-France collaboration in optical long baseline interferometry for astronomy at Georgia State University and the Observatory of Grenoble. Harold A. McAlister leads the US group, which includes Stephen T. Ridgway of the National Optical Astronomy Observatories, Theo A. Ten Brummelaar of Georgia State and several graduate students. Jean-Philippe Berger, an astronomer at the Grenoble Observatory's Astrophysics Laboratory, leads the French group. The purpose of this US-France joint project is to develop and validate a new generation instrument capable of combining light from six telescopes at the Center for High Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) located in Mount Wilson, California. The new instrument will be based on technology developed by the Grenoble Observatory. This technology can replace dozens of precision fabricated and aligned optical components with a single optical "chip." The US group will develop the subsystems necessary to operate six telescopes simultaneously (including pair-wise fringe stabilization), will lead the design of the beam-combiner laboratory, and will develop optical and electronic interfaces. This is complemented by the Grenoble group's work on a combination system using integrated optics technologies. The goal is to obtain the first on-sky demonstration of an integrated optics beam combination at the CHARA array within the first year, and to obtain the first images with the full array at the conclusion of the grant period.This award represents the US side of joint proposals to the NSF and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). NSF will cover travel funds and living expenses for the US investigators and students. The CNRS will support the visits of the French researchers.