An interferometry system including a first telescope for simultaneously receiving a first optical/infrared signal and a first radio signal from a target; a second telescope configured to simultaneously receive a second optical/infrared signal and a second radio signal from the target; a first beam splitter communicatively connected to the first telescope, where the first beam splitter is configured to separate the first optical/infrared signal from the first radio signal; a second beam splitter communicatively connected to the second telescope, where the second beam splitter is configured to separate the second optical/infrared signal from the second radio; and a first optical/infrared interferometer configured to detect an interferometry image of the target using the first and second optical/infrared and radio signals.

An imaging system can include of a plurality of pairs of lenslets and a respective plurality of two-dimensional arrays of photonic waveguides arranged in a respective plurality of photonic integrated circuits. Each waveguide can collect light in an airy-disk-size bin to cover a full field of view of the lenslet. Light from each pair of respective waveguides from each pair of lenslets can be demultiplexed into wavelength bins and combined with appropriate phase shifts to enable a measurement of the complex visibility. The complex visibilities from all of the measurements then can be processed to form an image.

A fiber-coupled phased-array includes a first photonic integrated circuit (PIC) and a second PIC. The first PIC includes a first set of lenslets and waveguides. The second PIC includes a second set of lenslets and waveguides and is placed at a distance from the first PIC. The optical fibers couple the first PIC to the second PIC and form an interferometric imager that can sample spatial frequencies of a target. Optical delay errors induced by a relative placement of the first PIC and the second PIC are compensated for.

A modular interferometric telescope including a base and an optical detector. A mounting beam has a first end, a second end, and a length, and is connected rotatably to the base at a point between the first and second end. The mounting beam is rotatable about a first axis extending in a direction of an object to be observed. A first light-collecting assembly is connected to the mounting beam proximal to the first end relative to the second end. The first light-collecting assembly directs light from the object to the optical detector. A second light-collecting assembly connected to the mounting beam is proximal to the second end relative to the first end. The second light-collecting assembly directs the light from the object to the optical detector. A first optical assembly is configured to receive the light from the object and direct the light to the optical detector.

An interferometry system including a first telescope for simultaneously receiving a first optical/infrared signal and a first radio signal from a target; a second telescope configured to simultaneously receive a second optical/infrared signal and a second radio signal from the target; a first beam splitter communicatively connected to the first telescope, where the first beam splitter is configured to separate the first optical/infrared signal from the first radio signal; a second beam splitter communicatively connected to the second telescope, where the second beam splitter is configured to separate the second optical/infrared signal from the second radio; and a first optical/infrared interferometer configured to detect an interferometry image of the target using the first and second optical/infrared and radio signals.

A chip scale star tracker that couples starlight into a lightguide such that the angle of incidence partially determines the mode of propagation of the starlight in the lightguide. A baffle system integrated with the lightguide prevents propagation of light incident from a predetermined range of angles.

A signal acquisition and distance variation measurement system for laser ranging interferometers comprising a signal acquisition unit. This unit comprises a frequency detection subsystem to detect the frequency of a received laser beam measurement signal which is buried in noise, wherein the subsystem comprises an acquisition subsystem with a wavelet packet decomposition unit and a phase/frequency detector PLL; a main PLL unit being coupled to the frequency detection subsystem for receiving the detected frequency of the measurement signal for phase estimation of the measurement signal; and a phasemeter band detection subsystem for detecting whether the measurement signal frequency is higher or lower than a reference signal frequency of a reference laser beam by operating a known change to the frequency of the reference signal and measuring the consequent change in the frequency of an interference signal for having the phase of reference signal locked to the measurement signal phase.

A method to derive phase-coherent images with an interferometer, in situations where interferometric phase errors can be factorized into element-based terms (piston phases) is disclosed. The method is preferably implemented completely in the image domain, without resort to aperture plane measurements of visibilities, or element-based voltage complex gains.