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The CHARA Array Integrated Optics Testbed or CHARIOT

Presentation #301.16 in the session Instrumentation: Ground Based or Airborne.

Published onFeb 07, 2024
The CHARA Array Integrated Optics Testbed or CHARIOT

The FLUOR (Fiber-Linked Unit for Optical Recombination) experiment began in 1991 at IOTA on Mt. Hopkins. In 2002-2003, FLUOR was moved to the CHARA Array and provided high-precision visibility measurements in the K-band. In 2012-2013 FLUOR underwent a series of upgrades involving most of the instrument components, becoming JouFLU. This integrated JouFLU with the CHARA environment and reached a K-band magnitude limit of 5. In 2022, the CHARA Array Integrated Optics Testbed (CHARIOT) experiment began. In place of the FLUOR fiber coupler beam combiner, a K-band ultrafast laser-inscribed integrated coupler was installed. The JouFLU fiber positioners, fiber injection, and output optics were replaced and connectorized to allow interchangeable integrated optical components to be replaced as desired. Further upgrades are planned that include replacing the science camera with a modern infrared detector and repositioning the optical table to allow access to all 6 CHARA science beams. The goal is to create an engineering testbed for new and customized integrated optical components, building on the FLUOR legacy. Science drivers include: the characterization of exozodiacal light, high-precision measurement of high contrast binaries, and space mission candidate finding and follow-up studies with better sensitivity (K≥5) and accuracy (sigma V= 0.1%) by optimizing new IO combiners and a modern NIR system.

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