Objective
The 6 metre telescope of the special astrophysical observatory (SAO), located in Russia, is the largest monolithic telescope in the world and it is one of the most highly competitive scientific facilities in the NIS. As the largest telescope, it is the best suited for diffraction limited imaging. Indeed classical imaging techniques, now mostly based on long exposure CCDs images, lead to an angular resolution limited by the atmospheric disturbances, typically ~l" (arcseconde). Nevertheless, very short exposure imaging techniques allow to freeze the atmospheric disturbances, and therefore to restore the object image with the angular resolution of the telescope limited by the diffraction, up to 0.015" at the 6 metre.
This research aims to develope the unique capability of the 6m telescope in this field. The programme will provide the 6m telescope with first range equipment to perform highly competing speckle interferometry observations at diffraction limit. The technical items have been focused on the two most critical goals: development of a high efficiency photon-counting detector, including data compression in real time and fast data acquisition. Such a detector is required to get a large enough signal-to-noise ratio for the very short exposure images. The light intensification stages will be built mostly from Russian components. The dedicated fast electronics for data compression and data acquisition will be studied in France and Ireland; it will be designed and constructed in collaboration between France and Russia for tip-tilt connection to compensate both telescope departures from perfect tracking of the sidereal motion and image motion induced by the atmosphere. The Russian team will contribute in providing the parameters related to the atmosphere blurring. The tip-tilt mirror and its servo-loop device will be studied, designed and constructed in France. The choice of the detector will be based, in particular, on studies in Ireland carried out within the framework of the above mentioned HC&M programme.
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
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69609 Villeurbanne
France