Abstract
A stellar interferometer is proposed that has the following characteristics: parallel shear, phase modulation and detection, white light fringes, simplicity, and high mechanical stability. The interferometer developed is able to measure the complex coherence function of a star and distinguish-it from most telescopic and atmospheric aberrations. This is achieved by detection of the fringes in the exit pupil, which is divided into small areas each less than a projected atmospheric isoplanatic patch. Then the phase-modulated fringes are detected independently in each area and summed incoherently. A description of a laboratory simulation is given.
© 1981 Optical Society of America
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