In this work, the influence of model order reduction (MOR) methods on optical aberrations is analyzed within a dynamical–optical simulation of a high precision optomechanical system. Therefore, an integrated modeling process and new methods have to be introduced for the computation and investigation of the overall dynamical–optical behavior. For instance, this optical system can be a telescope optic or a lithographic objective. In order to derive a simplified mechanical model for transient time simulations with low computational cost, the method of elastic multibody systems in combination with MOR methods can be used. For this, software tools and interfaces are defined and created. Furthermore, mechanical and optical simulation models are derived and implemented. With these, on the one hand, the mechanical sensitivity can be investigated for arbitrary external excitations and on the other hand, the related optical behavior can be predicted. In order to clarify these methods, academic examples are chosen and the influences of the MOR methods and simulation strategies are analyzed. Finally, the systems are investigated with respect to the mechanical–optical frequency responses, and in conclusion, some recommendations for the application of reduction methods are given.

The Balloon Experimental Twin Telescope for Infrared Interferometry (BETTII) is an 8-m baseline far-infrared (FIR: 30−90  μm) interferometer providing spatially resolved spectroscopy. The initial scientific focus of BETTII is on clustered star formation, but this capability likely has a much broader scientific application. One critical step in developing an interferometer, such as BETTII, is the optical alignment of the system. We discuss how we determine alignment sensitivities of different optical elements on the interferogram outputs. Accordingly, an alignment plan is executed that makes use of a laser tracker and theodolites for precise optical metrology of both the large external optics and the small optics inside the cryostat. We test our alignment on the ground by pointing BETTII to bright near-infrared sources and obtaining their images in the tracking detectors.

Residual speckles in adaptive optics (AO) images represent a well-known limitation on the achievement of the contrast needed for faint source detection. Speckles in AO imagery can be the result of either residual atmospheric aberrations, not corrected by the AO, or slowly evolving aberrations induced by the optical system. We take advantage of the high temporal cadence (1 ms) of the data acquired by the System for Coronagraphy with High-order Adaptive Optics from R to K bands-VIS forerunner experiment at the Large Binocular Telescope to characterize the AO residual speckles at visible wavelengths. An accurate knowledge of the speckle pattern and its dynamics is of paramount importance for the application of methods aimed at their mitigation. By means of both an automatic identification software and information theory, we study the main statistical properties of AO residuals and their dynamics. We therefore provide a speckle characterization that can be incorporated into numerical simulations to increase their realism and to optimize the performances of both real-time and postprocessing techniques aimed at the reduction of the speckle noise.

The World Space Observatory Ultraviolet telescope is equipped with high dispersion (55,000) spectrographs working in the 1150 to 3100 Å spectral range. To evaluate the impact of the design on the scientific objectives of the mission, a simulation software tool has been developed. This simulator builds on the development made for the PLATO space mission and it is designed to generate synthetic time-series of images by including models of all important noise sources. We describe its design and performance. Moreover, its application to the detectability of important spectral features for star formation and exoplanetary research is addressed.

We report on the construction and testing of a vacuum-gap Fabry–Pérot etalon calibrator for high precision radial velocity spectrographs. Our etalon is traced against a rubidium frequency standard to provide a cost effective, yet ultra precise wavelength reference. We describe here a turn-key system working at 500 to 900 nm, ready to be installed at any current and next-generation radial velocity spectrograph that requires calibration over a wide spectral bandpass. Where appropriate, we have used off-the-shelf, commercial components with demonstrated long-term performance to accelerate the development timescale of this instrument. Our system combines for the first time the advantages of passively stabilized etalons for optical and near-infrared wavelengths with the laser-locking technique demonstrated for single-mode fiber etalons. We realize uncertainties in the position of one etalon line at the 10  cm s−1 level in individual measurements taken at 4 Hz. When binning the data over 10 s, we are able to trace the etalon line with a precision of better than 3  cm s−1. We present data obtained during a week of continuous operation where we detect (and correct for) the predicted, but previously unobserved shrinking of the etalon Zerodur spacer corresponding to a shift of 13  cm s−1 per day.

Different types of ground-based detectors have been developed and deployed around the world to monitor and study cosmic ray (CR) variations. We have designed, constructed, and operated a small ( 20×20  cm2) three-layer multiwire proportional chamber detector for CR muon observations. The technical aspects of this detector will be briefly discussed. The ability of the detector to detect high-energy CR muons was established. The detector performed well in this sense and showed comparable results to our existing 1-m2 scintillator detector. The influence of atmospheric effects, mainly pressure and temperature, on the detected muons was determined. The corresponding coefficients were calculated and used to eliminate the pressure and temperature effects from the measured data.

The visible imager instrument on board the Euclid mission is a weak-lensing experiment that depends on very precise shape measurements of distant galaxies obtained by a large charge-coupled device (CCD) array. Due to the harsh radiative environment outside the Earth’s atmosphere, it is anticipated that the CCDs over the mission lifetime will be degraded to an extent that these measurements will be possible only through the correction of radiation damage effects. We have therefore created a Monte Carlo model that simulates the physical processes taking place when transferring signals through a radiation-damaged CCD. The software is based on Shockley–Read–Hall theory and is made to mimic the physical properties in the CCD as closely as possible. The code runs on a single electrode level and takes the three-dimensional trap position, potential structure of the pixel, and multilevel clocking into account. A key element of the model is that it also takes device specific simulations of electron density as a direct input, thereby avoiding making any analytical assumptions about the size and density of the charge cloud. This paper illustrates how test data and simulated data can be compared in order to further our understanding of the positions and properties of the individual radiation-induced traps.

The feasibility of a lenslet-based pyramid wavefront sensor (L-PWFS) and a double roof prism-based PWFS (DR-PWFS) as alternatives to a classical PWFS are investigated in this work. Traditional PWFSs require shallow angles and strict apex tolerances, making them difficult to manufacture. Lenslet arrays and roof prisms, on the other hand, are both common optical components that can be used as a PWFS. Characterizing these alternative pyramids and understanding how they differ from a traditional pyramid will allow the PWFS to become more widely used. The sensitivity of the SUSS microOptics 300-4.7 array and two ios Optics roof prisms are compared with a double PWFS (D-PWFS), as well as the simulated performance of an idealized PWFS for varying amounts of modulation and induced wavefront error. In response to low-order Zernike modes, the L-PWFS shows much lower performance and quicker saturation for large amounts of wavefront errors. The DR-PWFS, on the other hand, performs as well as the D-PWFS for the tests conducted. We conclude from this that the DR-PWFS does provide a feasible alternative to the classical pyramid in a range of applications.