Current results of the PERSEE testbench: the cophasing control and the polychromatic null rate

Stabilizing a nulling interferometer at a nanometric level is the key issue to obtain deep null depths. The PERSEE breadboard has been designed to study and optimize the operation of a cophased nulling bench in the most realistic disturbing environment of a space mission. This presentation focuses on the current results of the PERSEE bench. In terms of metrology, we cophased at 0.33 nm rms for the piston and 80 mas rms for the tip/tilt (0.14% of the Airy disk). A Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) control coupled with an unsupervised vibration identification allows us to maintain that level of correction, even with characteristic vibrations of nulling interferometry space missions. These performances, with an accurate design and alignment of the bench, currently lead to a polychromatic unpolarised null depth of 8.9E-6 stabilized at 3E-7 on the [1.65-2.45] \mum spectral band (37% bandwidth).Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, proceedings of the Optics+Photonics SPIE conference, San Diego, 201

Optical design of a Michelson wide-field multiple-aperture telescope

Communication to : Optical system design, Saint Etienne (France), 29 Septembre - 3 Octobre 2003SIGLEAvailable from INIST (FR), Document Supply Service, under shelf-number : 22419, issue : a.2004 n.205 / INIST-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et TechniqueFRFranc

Highest-Speed Modulators Enabling High-Capacity Free Space Optical Communications at low SNR

International audienc

Plasmonic Modulators for Future Highest-Speed Free Space Optical Communications

Plasmonic modulators have been assessed for operation up to 200 GBaud in a turbulent 53 km free-space-optical link. They are shown to withstand space radiation and large temperature ranges making them ideal for space applications