Efficient method for the reduction of large piston errors in segmented-mirror telescopes.

Abstract

Phase discontinuity sensing (PDS) is one of two successful approaches to segment phasing that are currently in use at the Keck telescopes, but it has only a limited capture range. We describe and present numerical simulations of a broadband version of the current (narrowband) PDS algorithm that can extend the capture range from 0.4 to 40 microns. Like the original algorithm, the new broadband PDS algorithm requires no special-purpose hardware but only a high-resolution area detector operating in the 2-3-microns range. The potential application of this algorithm to extremely large telescopes is also discussed.