Home Highly sensitive telescope designs for higher contrast observations
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Highly sensitive telescope designs for higher contrast observations

  • Gil Moretto

    Gil Moretto is a CNRS Scientist with research activities focusing on the conception and development of dedicated high-resolution and high-dynamic range instrumentations for ground- and spaced-based astronomy in the US and in Europe. He has been part of the team that designed and developed SOAR Telescope, ATST/NSF, NST/BBSO and the novel and powerful instrument concept HDRT – High Dynamic Range Telescope, a diluted multiple off-axis mirrors design. While working in France, he has been involved in the proposals of a near-infrared IFU spectrograph to JWST/ESA/Astrium and a multi-object adaptive optics spectrograph instrument to ESO/E-ELT. He served as Technical Director of one the CNRS’ Unity. Currently, Dr. Moretto is working on optical configurations, co-phasing strategies, and adaptive optics concepts and developments for extremely large telescopes and their instrumentation; and also on a novel infrared survey off-axis telescope concept for Antarctica astronomy.

     EMAIL logo     and Jeff R. Kuhn

    Jeff R. Kuhn is a Professor of Astronomy at the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy. He has written more than 200 articles on diverse astronomical topics. He has designed, built, or contributed to more than a dozen optical and infrared telescopes and has proposed concepts that later became fundamental design elements in the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope and the Giant Magellan Telescope. Dr. Kuhn was educated at Princeton University and has won prizes from the Sloan Foundation and the Humboldt Prize in astrophysics. He served as the Institute for Astronomy’s director on Maui for a decade. Dr. Kuhn is a Principal Coinvestigator for the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope and scientific leader of the Polarized Light from Atmospheres of Nearby ExtraTerrestrial Systems (PLANETS) telescope. Dr. Kuhn is Innovative Optics Chief Technology Officer and a founding partner of the Colossus Corporation.
Published/Copyright: June 7, 2014
Become an author with De Gruyter Brill
Author Information
Advanced Optical Technologies
From the journal Advanced Optical Technologies Volume 3 Issue 3

Abstract

Off-axis telescope concepts that use unobstructed pupils have better emissivity, throughput, diffraction-limited energy concentrations, and higher dynamic range than traditional concentric instruments. The coronagraphic performance of off-axis telescopes will enable instruments, which are starved for higher dynamic range, for example, those devoted to faint companion detection, circumstellar and solar atmosphere studies.

Keywords: higher dynamic range; low emissivity; low scattered light; off-axis telescope
Corresponding author: Gil Moretto, Centre de Recherche Astrophysique de Lyon, CRAL/INSU, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, CNRS, Lyon, France, e-mail:

About the authors

Gil Moretto

Gil Moretto is a CNRS Scientist with research activities focusing on the conception and development of dedicated high-resolution and high-dynamic range instrumentations for ground- and spaced-based astronomy in the US and in Europe. He has been part of the team that designed and developed SOAR Telescope, ATST/NSF, NST/BBSO and the novel and powerful instrument concept HDRT – High Dynamic Range Telescope, a diluted multiple off-axis mirrors design. While working in France, he has been involved in the proposals of a near-infrared IFU spectrograph to JWST/ESA/Astrium and a multi-object adaptive optics spectrograph instrument to ESO/E-ELT. He served as Technical Director of one the CNRS’ Unity. Currently, Dr. Moretto is working on optical configurations, co-phasing strategies, and adaptive optics concepts and developments for extremely large telescopes and their instrumentation; and also on a novel infrared survey off-axis telescope concept for Antarctica astronomy.

Jeff R. Kuhn

Jeff R. Kuhn is a Professor of Astronomy at the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy. He has written more than 200 articles on diverse astronomical topics. He has designed, built, or contributed to more than a dozen optical and infrared telescopes and has proposed concepts that later became fundamental design elements in the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope and the Giant Magellan Telescope. Dr. Kuhn was educated at Princeton University and has won prizes from the Sloan Foundation and the Humboldt Prize in astrophysics. He served as the Institute for Astronomy’s director on Maui for a decade. Dr. Kuhn is a Principal Coinvestigator for the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope and scientific leader of the Polarized Light from Atmospheres of Nearby ExtraTerrestrial Systems (PLANETS) telescope. Dr. Kuhn is Innovative Optics Chief Technology Officer and a founding partner of the Colossus Corporation.

References

[1] G. Moretto, J. R. Kuhn and P. R. Goode, Proc. SPIE 8444, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes IV, 84440Y (2012).Search in Google Scholar

[2] J. R. Kuhn and S. L. Howley, Pub. Astron. Soc. Pacific, v. 111 (1999).10.1086/316356Search in Google Scholar

[3] G. Moretto and J. R. Kuhn, Appl. Opt. 39, 16 (2000).Search in Google Scholar

[4] G. Moretto and M. Langlois, Proc. SPIE 5487, Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Space Telescopes, 5487, 1111–1118 (2004).10.1117/12.548893Search in Google Scholar

[5] P. R. Goode and W. Cao, Proc. SPIE 8444, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes IV, 8444, 3 (2012).Search in Google Scholar

[6] J. P. McMullin, T. R. Rimmele, S. L. Keil, M. Warner, S. Barden, et al., Proc. SPIE 8444, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes IV, 8444, 7 (2012).Search in Google Scholar

[7] J. R. Kuhn, G. Moretto, F. Racine, F. Roddier and R. Coulter, Pub. Astron. Soc. Pacific, 113, 1486–1510 (2001).Search in Google Scholar

[8] H. M. Martin, R. G. Allen and J. H. Burge, Proc. SPIE 8450, Modern Technologies in Space- and Ground-based Telescopes and Instrumentation II, 8450, 2D (2012).Search in Google Scholar

[9] R. D. Joseph, J. R. Kuhn, A. Tokunaga, R. Coulter, Ch. Ftaclas, et al., Proc. SPIE 4005, Discoveries and Research Prospects from 8- to 10-Meter-Class Telescopes, 4005, 333 (2000).10.1117/12.390156Search in Google Scholar

[10] J. H. Burge, Proc. SPIE 2576, 2576, 258–269 (1995).Search in Google Scholar

[11] J. F. Rodolfo, L. Chouarche, G. Chaussat, A-L. Hamy, J-L. Carel, et al., Proc. SPIE 8450, Modern Technologies in Space- and Ground-based Telescopes and Instrumentation II, 8450, 23 (2012).Search in Google Scholar

[12] P. Su, R. Parks, L. Wang, R. Angel and J. Burge, Appl. Opt. 49, 23, 4404 (2010).10.1364/AO.49.004404Search in Google Scholar PubMed

[13] G. Moretto, N. Epchtein, M. Langlois and I. Vauglin, Proc. SPIE 8444, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes IV, 8444, 5E (2012).Search in Google Scholar

[14] R. Angel, J. Lawrence and J. Storey, Proc. SPIE 5382, Second Backaskog Workshop on Extremely Large Telescopes, 5382, 76–84 (2004).10.1117/12.566107Search in Google Scholar

Received: 2014-2-28
Accepted: 2014-5-19
Published Online: 2014-6-7
Published in Print: 2014-6-1

©2014 THOSS Media & De Gruyter Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Community
  3. News from the European Optical Society
  4. Conference Notes
  5. Conference Calendar
  6. Topical Issue: Optics for Astronomy / Guest Editors: Jan Burke, Andrew Rakich and Jim Burge
  7. Editorial
  8. Optics for astronomy – Editorial
  9. Review Articles
  10. Active optics with a minimum number of actuators
  11. Highly sensitive telescope designs for higher contrast observations
  12. Replicated spectrographs in astronomy
  13. Ultra-smooth finishing of aspheric surfaces using CAST technology
  14. Hydroxide catalysis bonding for astronomical instruments
  15. Research Articles
  16. Fabrication and metrology of lithium niobate narrowband optical filters for the solar orbiter
  17. A method for the use of ellipticities and spot diameters for the measurement of aberrations in wide-field telescopes
  18. Deflectometric measurement of large mirrors
  19. The Four-Laser Guide Star Facility: Design considerations and system implementation
https://doi.org/10.1515/aot-2014-0017
Keywords for this article
higher dynamic range; low emissivity; low scattered light; off-axis telescope

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Community
  3. News from the European Optical Society
  4. Conference Notes
  5. Conference Calendar
  6. Topical Issue: Optics for Astronomy / Guest Editors: Jan Burke, Andrew Rakich and Jim Burge
  7. Editorial
  8. Optics for astronomy – Editorial
  9. Review Articles
  10. Active optics with a minimum number of actuators
  11. Highly sensitive telescope designs for higher contrast observations
  12. Replicated spectrographs in astronomy
  13. Ultra-smooth finishing of aspheric surfaces using CAST technology
  14. Hydroxide catalysis bonding for astronomical instruments
  15. Research Articles
  16. Fabrication and metrology of lithium niobate narrowband optical filters for the solar orbiter
  17. A method for the use of ellipticities and spot diameters for the measurement of aberrations in wide-field telescopes
  18. Deflectometric measurement of large mirrors
  19. The Four-Laser Guide Star Facility: Design considerations and system implementation
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2025 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 15.11.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/aot-2014-0017/html
Scroll to top button