Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Canterbury, 2007. / Typescript (photocopy). "April 2007." Includes bibliographical references. Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 99-103).

Thesis (M.F.A.)--West Virginia University, 2010. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 317 p. Includes abstract.

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 2005. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (p. 292-293).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / This dissertation presents the legacy, theory, design, characterization, and application prospects of a fully symmetric monolithic nulling interferometer (nuller). A nuller's function is to destructively interfere light originating from a bright, on-axis, unresolved source in order to lower its contrast with faint, off-axis sources of light in the field of view. The primary application lies in astronomical instrumentation, serving as an enabling technology for directly imaging exoplanets and measuring exozodiacal dust and debris disks, the planetary system evolutionary components around nearby stars. Typical on-sky planet/star flux ratios are 1:109 or less in the visible. Mitigating this contrast is key to spectroscopic study of exoplanets, which aims to characterize exoplanetary atmospheres and potentially locate biosignatures on exo-Earths. Within the past decade, adaptive optics-equipped breadboard demonstrations of nullers and other coronagraphs have shown the capability to image nearby (< 30 lightyears) extrasolar analogs to Jupiter with a 0.5 meter diameter telescope in the visible. The quiet laboratory environments that have been produced to demonstrate this capability do not reflect those of typical ground-based observatories where thermal drifts perturb optical alignment and atmospheric turbulence perturbs the source wavefront. Space-based platforms circumvent the atmosphere problem, but are still subjected to thermal instabilities and their associated risks. Robust optical systems must be designed and flight-tested in order to address such risks and provide grounds for their inclusion in the design of future exo-Earth imaging satellites. Sub-orbital platforms such as sounding rockets and high-altitude balloons provide a rapid, lowcost means of providing heritage for such optical systems while also delivering significant scientific results. The primary risk inherent with these platforms are harsh transient environmental conditions, for which, similar to an orbital platform, robust optical systems are necessary. A novel feature of the nuller described in this work is its monolithic design, which greatly enhances optical stability, the primary obstacle plaguing all high-contrast imaging efforts. Additional design benefits include theoretical achromatic performance and an inner working angle that is 2-4 times smaller than other coronagraph designs, enabling its use with proportionally smaller telescopes. / 2031-01-01

Aspects of the design, development and evaluation of a 1-5 ?m near-infrared camera for a large ground-based telescope are described and discussed. In particular this the?sis will consider the detailed cryogenic design and the closely inter-related areas of the optical and mechanical design. Also discussed is near-infrared imaging and imag?ing polarimetry of the star forming region OMC 2, acquired during the astronomical commissioning of the camera.

Many astronomers require large amounts of observational data to solve astrophysical problems and to validate theoretical hypotheses. It is therefore imperative that both the observer and telescope work efficiently, maximising data collection whilst minimising object selection and acquisition time. One method in which this can be achieved is through telescope automation. The advent of cheap integrated process controllers enables the system designer to realise novel control system architectures which were previously prohibitive to all but the largest of sites. This thesis reviews the development of processor based control systems in the astronomical and industrial environment and compares distributed and centralised control system architecture. It describes the design and construction of one such distributed control system for the St Andrews Twin Photometric Telescope.

The performance of the Rhodes 22 GHz radio telescope and its improvement are discussed in this thesis. The reflector surfaces of the Cassegrain antenna were surveyed and the surface errors minimised, while the magnitude of thermal and gravitational defomations was calculated. The design and operation of the microwave front end has been improved, and the mixer performance characterised. The continuum and spectral line receivers and their sensitivity are described. The aperture efficiency, which has been raised from 0,47 to 0,57, was deduced from solar and lunar observations and atmospheric attenuation measurements. The antenna beam pattern was also obtained from the observations, with the aid of a computer program, and is compared to that predicted for the telescope.

We describe the remote facilities operated by the Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy (SARA), a consortium of colleges and universities in the US partnered with Lowell Observatory, the Chilean National Telescope Allocation Committee, and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. SARA observatories comprise a 0.96 m telescope at Kitt Peak, Arizona; one of 0.6 m aperture on Cerro Tololo, Chile; and the 1 m Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope at the Roque de los Muchachos, La Palma, Spain. All are operated using standard VNC or Radmin protocols communicating with on-site PCs. Remote operation offers considerable flexibility in scheduling, allowing long-term observational cadences difficult to achieve with classical observing at remote facilities, as well as obvious travel savings. Multiple observers at different locations can share a telescope for training, educational use, or collaborative research programs. Each telescope has a CCD system for optical imaging, using thermoelectric cooling to avoid the need for frequent local service, and a second CCD for offset guiding. The Arizona and Chile telescopes also have fiber-fed echelle spectrographs. Switching between imaging and spectroscopy is very rapid, so a night can easily accommodate mixed observing modes. We present some sample observational programs. For the benefit of other groups organizing similar consortia, we describe the operating structure and principles of SARA, as well as some lessons learned from almost 20 years of remote operations.