Maresse described a classical solid catadioptric system (SoCatS) for a lens comprising a solid body and a single-focal Maksutov type construction, characterized by two refractive and two reflective surfaces. Due to ray propagation through the solid block twice, the design is feasible at a single wavelength, otherwise suffering on chromatic aberration induced by dispersion. We design a SoCatS for a telescope and describe a class of solutions to reduce and control chromatic and some spherical aberration in the solid catadioptric system.

We define the simplest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to determine the optimal wavelength interval for extrasolar planet detection. We expand the width of the spectral region from infrared up to submillimeter range. For a nearby solar system similar to our own, we find that the SNR increases by about 100 in comparison to that considered previously. We propose the planet detection in a spectral interval around 0.3 mm (900 GHz), in which we evaluate the SNR to be $10–4$. We perform trade-off analysis for alternative sites for the planet observatory, concluding that the far side of the moon offers a most favorable, atmosphere-free environment and a stable base.

We describe the fundamental principle of operation of a vectorial shearing interferometer, featuring variable shear and tilt. They may be implemented along an arbitrary direction, in our experimental setup, by controlling the relative angle between a pair of wedge prisms. We show the simulated interferometric patterns of primary aberrations. We compare them with those exhibited by spherical and aspherical optical elements obtained experimentally. The number and orientation of fringes is controllable with the shear direction and its magnitude. The vectorial shearing interferometer is shown to be effective in testing optical elements and in aligning optical systems.

We describe experimental results demonstrating the performance of an erbium-doped silica fiber as a remote temperature sensor in the temperature interval 21 to 96°C. We present the measured fluorescence spectrum corresponding to the energy levels $2H11/2$ and $4S3/2.$ This sensor features simple signal detection in a band and its data analysis system, incorporating a power ratio to reduce noise effects. The channel responsivity, power ratio, and sensitivity for a number of possible filters are presented. By using filters transmitting the 527- to 537-nm and 545- to 555-nm spectral bands, the following figures of merit are achieved: the responsivity is greater than 0.2 μW/K, and the sensitivity is $0.0065 K−1.$ With a custom-made filter centered on 545 nm, even higher sensitivity is predicted. © 2003 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.

We propose that an array of $4\times 4$ small-diameter telescopes, possibly 1 m in radius, be placed on the far side of the Moon for continuous monitoring of nearby stars for the existence of a planetary companion, similar to the Earth, and feasible for human colonization. The advantages of this location include long intervals of darkness, availability of a rigid platform in the form of a moon body, and most importantly, the absence of the atmosphere that allows the complete transmission of radiation in the spectral range from UV to millimeter waves. The task is facilitated in that the telescopes would act as light “buckets” to collect photons during long integration periods. All other technology has already been demonstrated, as humans in person delivered optical elements to the Moon’s surface during the Apollo era. The disadvantages are primarily operational, in terms of requiring the establishment of a human habitat on the Moon. Likewise, all aspects of constructing a large 75 m by 75 m mirror array on the Moon’s surface will be challenging. Simultaneously, the decreased gravity requires less effort and less energy to perform the construction tasks. The absence of atmosphere permits the search to extend from less than 10 to 300 μm to find Earth-like or even much colder planets.

We developed a general theory about the performance of a rotational shearing interferometer. We apply the aberration theory to the detection of planets outside our planet system. We considered cases when the mutual coherence functions of the on-axis and the off-axis system are 0 and 1.