Sparse Aperture Masking
My Bachelor research project on implementing Sparse Aperture Masking at the Leiden Old Observatory.
In 2013 we designed and implemented a Michelson interferometry observing mode called Sparse Aperture Masking (SAM) or Non-Redundant Masking (NRM) at optical wavelengths on the student telescope located in the Westkoepel in the Leiden Old Observatory. The telescope was transformed into a seven-element interferometer using an aperture mask located in front of the primary mirror.
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Methods for designing this mask are discussed. A data-reduction pipeline was written in Python and the whole setup was validated using first-light observations of a 3 magnitude contrast binary at 1.5 λ/D separation.
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Algorithms for creating Kolmogorov phase screens involved in simulations are also discussed. This involves
