Can you quantify the uncertainty in positional measurement introduced by diffuse light and discrete objects within the field of view (field stop) which are not individually detected?
The interferometer measures the phase of everything in the field of view, via a vector sum. For instance, a uniform background is resolved out, and contributes to the noise, but not the fringe visibility. The effect of ‘confusing’ objects can be enumerated only for very specific cases. Proposers should address these issues if they (potentially) make a major impact on the proposed science. Otherwise, the computation of these effects can be proposed to be performed as part of the pre-launch preparatory work. Question 24: Crowded-field astrometry with SIM will require the use of synthesis imaging observing and data analysis techniques. No timelines are presented in the AO or on the AO support web site for imaging with SIM. How should proposers “be aware of this complication” (AO Section 2.2) in writing their proposals? Answer: The SIM project has not yet developed detailed timelines for synthesis imaging. Data acquisition will most closely resemble the narrow-angle scenario on the SIM web
Related Questions
- For objects moving away but not directly away in our light of sight, could we take measurements from different parts of the Earth and compare the readings to figure out precise velocity?
- Does the double tilt measurement with two measured distances only work on back bent objects?
- Does the SignalReference field in the Measurement table need to be unique?
