Scrambling Properties of Optical Fibers and the Performance of a Double Scrambler
Abstract
Optical fibers have become increasingly commonplace in astronomical instrumentation during the past decade; especially in coupling telescopes to spectrographs. In addition to the astrophysical results there is also a growing literature on the properties of optical fibers as they pertain to astronomical observations but this has tended to emphasize transmission and focal ration degradation. This paper looks at the scrambling properties of optical fibers which are particularly important in precision radial velocity observations. We find that a single multimode step index fiber, such as is commonly used in astronomical applications, is deficient as a scrambler; that is the output beam has some memory of the input object position and incident angle. We go on to characterize a solution to this problem which is a prototype double scrambler using two fibers coupled by an afocal lens system. (SECTION: Instrumentation and Data Analysis)
- Publication:
-
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
- Pub Date:
- December 1992
- DOI:
- 10.1086/133115
- Bibcode:
- 1992PASP..104.1244H
- Keywords:
-
- Optical Coupling;
- Optical Fibers;
- Pattern Recognition;
- Spectrographs;
- Telescopes;
- Far Fields;
- Near Fields;
- Performance Prediction;
- Radial Velocity;
- Optics;
- INSTRUMENTATION: SPECTROGRAPHS;
- TECHNIQUES: MISCELLANEOUS