Heimdallr, Baldr, and Solarstein: designing the next generation of VLTI instruments in the Asgard suite.

High angular resolution imaging is an increasingly important capability in contemporary astrophysics. Of particular relevance to emerging fields such as the characterization of exoplanetary systems, imaging at the required spatial scales and contrast levels results in forbidding challenges in the correction of atmospheric phase errors, which in turn drives demanding requirements for precise wavefront sensing. Asgard is the next-generation instrument suite at the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), targeting advances in sensitivity, spectral resolution, and nulling interferometry. In this paper, we describe the requirements and designs of three core modules: Heimdallr, a beam combiner for fringe tracking, low order wavefront correction, and visibility science; Baldr, a Zernike wavefront sensor to correct high order atmospheric aberrations; and Solarstein, an alignment and calibration unit. In addition, we draw generalizable insights for designing such system and discuss integration plans.

Beating the classical limit: a diffraction-limited spectrograph for an arbitrary input beam.

We demonstrate a new approach to classical fiber-fed spectroscopy. Our method is to use a photonic lantern that converts an arbitrary (e.g. incoherent) input beam into N diffraction-limited outputs. For the highest throughput, the number of outputs must be matched to the total number of unpolarized spatial modes on input. This approach has many advantages: (i) after the lantern, the instrument is constructed from 'commercial off the shelf' components; (ii) the instrument is the minimum size and mass configuration at a fixed resolving power and spectral order; (iii) the throughput is better than 60% (slit to detector, including detector QE of ~80%); (iv) the scattered light at the detector can be less than 0.1% (total power). Our first implementation operates over 1545-1555 nm (limited by the detector) with a spectral resolution of 0.055 nm (R~30,000) using a 1 × 7 (1 multi-mode input to 7 single-mode outputs) photonic lantern. This approach is a first step towards a fully integrated, multimode photonic microspectrograph.

Low-cost scheme for high-precision dual-wavelength laser metrology.

A method capable of delivering relative optical path length metrology with nanometer precision is demonstrated. Unlike conventional dual-wavelength metrology, which employs heterodyne detection, the method developed in this work utilizes direct detection of interference fringes of two He-Ne lasers as well as a less precise stepper motor open-loop position control system to perform its measurement. Although the method may be applicable to a variety of circumstances, the specific application in which this metrology is essential is in an astrometric optical long baseline stellar interferometer dedicated to precise measurement of stellar positions. In our example application of this metrology to a narrow-angle astrometric interferometer, measurement of nanometer precision could be achieved without frequency-stabilized lasers, although the use of such lasers would extend the range of optical path length the metrology can accurately measure. Implementation of the method requires very little additional optics or electronics, thus minimizing the cost and effort of implementation. Furthermore, the optical path traversed by the metrology lasers is identical to that of the starlight or science beams, even down to using the same photodetectors, thereby minimizing the noncommon path between metrology and science channels.