Pupil densification: a panorama

¹ Cornell University, USA
² Observatoire de Haute Provence, France

Abstract

The technique of pupil densification bridges the gap existing between conventionnal optical astronomy observing techniques and optical interferometry: it indeed leads to the concept of hypertelescope: an instrument that can provide direct images at the focus of an interferometer. The hypertelescope is the open sesame for high dynamic imaging with an interferometer: indeed, the elementary remapping of the pupil operated by a densifier not only maximizes the dynamic range and the signal to noise ratio of images but also makes the interferometer compatible with most existing coronagraphic devices. Moreover, a careful discussion about field of view show that for a diluted array, the pupil densification preserves all the relevant high angular resolution information collected by the interferometer and therefore induces no field loss.