Untitled - Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de l'Observatoire de Grenoble

Figure 11.7: PICNIC low noise infrared camera during the integration tests, before delivery
Alcatel Space Industry (ASI) was based on a large consortium 4 . Two kinds of 2-telescope beam combiners
have been provided using the IMEP/GeeO and LETI standard telecom technologies dedicated to 1.5 µm
wavelength. At the end of the contract at the beginning of 2004, we have obtained nulling at a 10 −6 level
with a laser source and at a 10 −4 level with a broad band source (with a width of 100 nm), to be compared
with the 10 −3 level obtained with a 20 µm-hole and a CO2 laser at 10.6 µm (Ollivier, 1999, PhD thesis).
• proposing the theoretical analysis of the integrated optics capabilities in the Achromatic Phase Shifter
(APS) manufacturing (a contract led by IAS, Orsay).
• developing specific waveguides for the full DARWIN spectral domain (i.e. [4 µm; 20 µm]). IMEP has the
leadership of this program with strong contributions of LETI for technology developments and LAOG
for sample tests. ASI contributes for management tasks, and LPMC in Montpellier provides promising
chalcogenide technologies. This 2-year development that will end in December 2005 has allowed to achieve
the first single-mode hollow-metallic waveguides in the mid-infrared range (Figure 11.8 - Labadie et al.,
2005, A&A, in press).
Post doctoral and doctoral students (P. Haguenauer, E. Laurent, L. Labadie) conducted these activities with
the support of the technical team. For all of the contracts Pierre Kern was responsible for LAOG.
Micro-piezoelectric fiber positioners To answer several issues about fine injection into fibers (IONIC,
VITRUV), we have developed a new generation of micro-positioning devices including mini-sensors for submicrometric
position measurements (Preis et al., 2004, SPIE, 5491, 1379). This device contains a piezoelectric
tube on which there are five metallic electrodes. The micro-positioning device will eventually be integrated in
the VITRUV project in order to control very precisely the position of every fiber at the focus of each telescope.
The responsible is O. Preis.
4 (IMEP, CSO Mesure, GeeO, LETI, LAOG, ASI)
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