Magdalena Ridge Observatory interferometer: 2014 status update

Abstract

The Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer has been designed to be a 10 × 1.4 m aperture long-baseline optical/near-infrared interferometer in an equilateral "Y" configuration, and is being deployed west of Socorro, NM on the Magdalena Ridge. Unfortunately, first light for the facility has been delayed due to the current difficult funding regime, but during the past two years we have made substantial progress on many of the key subsystems for the array. The design of all these subsystems is largely complete, and laboratory assembly and testing, and the installation and site acceptance testing of key components on the Ridge are now underway. This paper serves as an overview and update on the facility's present status and changes since 2012, and the plans for future activities and eventual operations of the facilities.

High-Accuracy Online Calibration Scheme for Large-Scale Integrated Photonic Interferometric Measurements

“…V2PM characterizes the instrumental behavior of beam combiners by photometric measurements as well as wide-range temporal modulation of OPDs and the envelope fitting of interferometric patterns [24]. This characterization approach is used in ground-based long-baseline interferometers, where subsystems such as beam-train systems, delay lined, beam combining facilities, and interferometer control systems are arranged in vibration-isolated and thermally regulated laboratories to maintain stable operating conditions [25]. The validity period of the obtained calibration results is generally long.…”