Proposal for the Implementation of the ALOHA Up-Conversion Interferometer on the CHARA Telescope Array

Abstract

In this paper, we present a new concept of instrument for high resolution imaging in astronomy, involving the sum frequency generation in non-linear waveguides. The aim is to convert the infrared radiation emitted by an astronomical source to the visible spectral domain where the optical components are mature and efficient. We present the main experimental results obtained in laboratory, and propose a new design for this instrument for its implementation on the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) telescope array. Preliminary stability and photometric results obtained at CHARA are presented. Using these last measurements, we estimate the limiting magnitudes which could be reached by this interferometer in the H spectral band.