Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Photonics Edit a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Special Issue "Optical Systems for Astronomy"

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Published Papers
Planned Papers

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2023 | Viewed by 3815

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Eduard Muslimov

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

NOVA Optical IR Instrumentation Group, ASTRON, Oude Hoogeveensedijk 4, 7991 PD Dwingeloo, The Netherlands
Interests: astronomical telescopes and instrumentation; high contrast imaging; high angular resolution; active and adaptive optics; curved sensors

Dr. Gennady G. Valyavin
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Special Astrophysical Observatory, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhny Arkhyz, Russia
Interests: physical sciences; G stars and stellar physics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Astronomical instrumentation is at the doorstep of a new era. In the domain of space astronomy, we are waiting for the first scientific outcome of the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope, and are experiencing a rapid growth in the field of small missions, including CubeSats as newly available platforms. In the domain of ground-based astronomy, we are approaching the commissioning of three extremely large telescopes and their first-light instruments, but we are also witnessing a number of small missions, which have become possible with new image sensors, robotic mounts and other technologies.

We are pleased to announce a Special Issue of Photonics on astronomical optics. Since the field is extremely diverse and continually growing, we propose a focus on optical systems developed for astronomy. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Relevant topics include (but are not limited to):

Ground-based telescopes (including large segmented mirrors);
Large- and medium-sized spaceborne telescopes and instruments;
Small space instruments, including CubeSat-scale platforms;
Spectral and spectropolarimetric instruments for astronomy;
Integral field spectrometers;
Adaptive and active optics;
High-contrast imaging and coronagraphy;
Wide-field instruments for all-sky surveys;
Innovative optical elements for astronomy;
Optical interferometric techniques and instrumentation.

Dr. Eduard Muslimov
Dr. Gennady G. Valyavin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Photonics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Open AccessArticle

Optical Design of a Slitless Astronomical Spectrograph with a Composite Holographic Grism

and

Photonics 2023, 10(4), 385; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10040385 - 31 Mar 2023

Viewed by 510

Abstract

In the present work, we consider an optical design of a slitless spectrograph for an existing 0.5 m-class telescope. This design concept has a number of advantages such as compact size, simplicity, and simultaneous coverage of a large field of view. A challenge with this design is correcting aberrations caused by placing a dispersing element in a converging beam. To overcome this issue, we propose to use a composite grism, which represents a combination of a prism and a volume-phase holographic grating, the latter which is split into zones with independently optimized parameters. We demonstrate two designs of such a grism. In both designs, the spectrograph operates in the range of 450–950 nm in an

F / 6.8

beam and covers a field of view of 35.6

^{'}

× 7.2

^{'}

. Through advanced modeling, it is shown that a composite grism having four rectangular zones with different thickness and index modulation depth of the hologram and recorded with an auxiliary deformable mirror decreases the astigmatic elongation by a factor of 85, increases the spectral resolving power by 4.4 times, and reaches

R 1389

while increasing the average diffraction efficiency by a factor of

1.31

. If we reduce the number of zones to only two, replace the deformable mirror with two static corrector plates, and fix the hologram thickness, the corresponding performance gains still remain high: the astigmatism is reduced by a factor of 61, the spectral resolving power is up to

1.7

times higher, reaching

R 1067

, and the efficiency is increased by a factor of

1.27

. This shows that the proposed design allows the construction of a simple and compact instrument, providing high performance over the entire field of view and spectral range. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Systems for Astronomy)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Wavefront Sensing by a Common-Path Interferometer for Wavefront Correction in Phase and Amplitude by a Liquid Crystal Spatial Light Modulator Aiming the Exoplanet Direct Imaging

and

Photonics 2023, 10(3), 320; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10030320 - 16 Mar 2023

Viewed by 560

Abstract

We implemented the common-path achromatic interfero-coronagraph both for the wavefront sensing and the on-axis image component suppression, aiming for the stellar coronagraphy. A common-path achromatic interfero-coronagraph has its optical scheme based on a nulling rotational-shear interferometer. The angle of rotational shear can be chosen at a small angular extent of about 10 deg. Such a small angular shear maintains the coronagraphic contrast degradation known as the stellar leakage effect, caused by a finite stellar size. We study the phase and amplitude wavefront control by a liquid crystal spatial light modulator of reflection type which is used as the pixilated active adaptive optics unit. Therefore, adaptive optics perform a wavefront-correcting input toward a stellar interfero-coronagraph aiming at the direct exoplanet imaging. Presented here are both the numeric evaluations and the lab experiment stand to prove the declared functionality output. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Systems for Astronomy)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Statistical Tool Size Study for Computer-Controlled Optical Surfacing

and

Photonics 2023, 10(3), 286; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10030286 - 09 Mar 2023

Viewed by 561

Abstract

Over the past few decades, computer-controlled optical surfacing (CCOS) systems have become more deterministic. A target surface profile can be predictably achieved with a combination of tools of different sizes. However, deciding the optimal set of tool sizes that will achieve the target residual error in the shortest run time is difficult, and no general guidance has been proposed in the literature. In this paper, we present a computer-assisted study on choosing the proper tool size for a given surface error map. First, we propose that the characteristic frequency ratio (CFR) can be used as a general measure of the correction capability of a tool over a surface map. Second, the performance of different CFRs is quantitatively studied with a computer simulation by applying them to guide the tool size selection for polishing a large number of randomly generated surface maps with similar initial spatial frequencies and root mean square errors. Finally, we find that CFR = 0.75 achieves the most stable trade-off between the total run time and the number of iterations and thus can be used as a general criterion in tool size selection for CCOS processes. To the best of our knowledge, the CFR is the first criterion that ties tool size selection to overall efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Systems for Astronomy)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

EXPLANATION: Exoplanet and Transient Event Investigation Project—Optical Facilities and Solutions

Vladimir Plokhotnichenko

and

Show full author list Hide full author list

Photonics 2022, 9(12), 950; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics9120950 - 08 Dec 2022

Viewed by 914

Abstract

Over the past decades, the achievements in astronomical instrumentation have given rise to a number of novel advanced studies related to the analysis of large arrays of observational data. One of the most famous of these studies is a study of transient events in the near and far space and a search for exoplanets. The main requirements for such kinds of projects are a simultaneous coverage of the largest possible field of view with the highest possible detection limits and temporal resolution. In this study, we present a similar project aimed at creating an extensive, continuously updated survey of transient events and exoplanets. To date, the core of the project incorporates several 0.07–2.5 m optical telescopes and the 6-m BTA telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory of RAS (Russia), a number of other Russian observatories and the Bonhyunsan observatory of the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (South Korea). Our attention is mainly focused on the description of two groups of small, wide-angle optical telescopes for primary detection. All the telescopes are originally designed for the goals of the project and may be of interest to the scientific community. A description is also given for a new, high-precision optical spectrograph for the Doppler studies of transient and exoplanet events detected within the project. We present here the philosophy, expectations and first results obtained during the first year of running the project. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Systems for Astronomy)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Image Degradation Model for Dynamic Star Maps in Multiple Scenarios

and

Photonics 2022, 9(10), 673; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics9100673 - 20 Sep 2022

Viewed by 571

Abstract

To meet the ground test requirements of star sensors, we establish the star map simulation algorithm and the interactive interface in multiple scenarios. The combination of the degradation model of star points, the imaging noise model, and the attitude disturbance model is introduced to solve the problem of different patterns of noise existing in the actual measurement, improving the traditional simulation model. In addition, a user-friendly interface design makes it easier for both scholars and average individuals to understand the parameters and then generate static single-frame star maps—or a series of dynamic sequence star maps—under various conditions. The results of the proposed star map simulation method are highly comparable to the actual captured star images, and this method can be applied for the tests and calibrations of star sensors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Systems for Astronomy)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Displaying articles 1-5

Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: WSO-UV mission spectrograph space qualified CCD detector subsystem
Authors: M.Sachkov; A.Shugarov
Affiliation: Institute of astronomy RAS
Abstract: World Space Observatory Ultraviolet (WSO-UV) is a Russian-led international collaboration to develop a large Space-borne 1.7 m Ritchey-Chrétien telescope with science instruments to study the Universe in the ultraviolet wavelengths (115 - 310 nm). The WSO-UV spectrograph unit (WUVS) consists of three channels: two high resolution channels (R=50000) with spectral ranges of 115-176 nm and 174-310 nm, and a low resolution (R=1000) channel with a spectral range of 115-305 nm. Each of the three channels has an almost identical custom detector consisting of a CCD inside a vacuum Enclosure, and drive electronics. The main challenges of the WUVS detectors are to achieve high quantum efficiency in the FUV-NUV range, to provide low readout noise (≤3 e- at 50 kHz) and low dark current (≤ 12 e-/pixel/hour), to operate with integral exposures of up to 10 hours and to provide good photometric accuracy. The Institute of astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INASAN) has designed together with Teledyne e2v company a vacuum Enclosure and three variants of a custom CCD272-64 sensor with different UV AR coatings optimised for each WUVS channel. The Enclosure prevents contamination and maintains the CCD at the operating temperature of -100oC, while the temperature of the WUVS optical bench is +20oC. STFC RAL Space under the INASAN control has developed the Camera Electronics Box (CEB) which houses the CCD drive electronics. Digital correlated double sampling technology allows for extremely low readout noise and flexible frequency for normal and binned pixel readout modes. The paper presents the WUVS detector design drivers, methods for extending the service life of the CCD sensors working with low signals in a space radiation environment, the key calculated parameters and results of the EQM qualification campaign.

Title: Wavefront sensing by a common-path interferometer for phase- and amplitude wavefront control by LC SLM aiming coronagraphic exoplanet direct imaging
Authors: Andrey Yudaev; Alexander Tavrov
Affiliation: Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Abstract: We implemented the common-path achromatic interfero-coronagraph (CP AIC) for wavefront sensing and for on-axis image component suppression aiming the coronagraphy. The CP AIC has optical scheme based on a nulling rotational-shear interferometer (RSI). The angle of rotational-shear can be chosen to a small angular extend, e.g. 10 degree. Such a small angular shear maintains the coronagraphic contrast degradation known as the stellar leakage effect caused by stellar apparent size. We implemented the phase- and amplitude wavefront control by a liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC SLM) of reflection type which is used as the pixilated active adaptive optics (AO) unit. AO performs a wavefront correcting input towards a stellar interfero-coronagraph aiming direct exoplanet imaging. Presented here lab experiment and numeric evaluations stand to prove the declared functionality output.

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Special Issue "Optical Systems for Astronomy"

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Published Papers (5 papers)

Research

Planned Papers

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI