1996/06/03 by Andrew Gould, B. Scott Gaudi · 1 citation
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Adaptive optics and wavefront sensing #Angular resolution (graph drawing) #Astronomy #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics #Galaxy #Interferometry #Line-of-sight #Mathematics #Physics #Primary (astronomy) #Quasar #Satellite #Star (game theory) #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #Telescope #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/304569
12 pages including 3 embedded figures
arxiv created 1996/06/03 · openalex publication_date 1997/09/10 · arxiv updated 2016/08/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We show that it is possible to image the structure of a distant quasar on scales of ≲1 AU by constructing a telescope that uses a nearby dwarf star as its "primary lens" together with a satellite-borne "secondary." The image produced by the primary is magnified by ~10 6 in one direction but is contracted by 0.5 in the other and therefore contains highly degenerate one-dimensional information about the two-dimensional source. We discuss various methods for extracting information about the second dimension including "femtolens interferometry" where one measures the interference between different parts of the one-dimensional image with each other. Assuming that the satellite could be dispatched to a position along a star-quasar line of sight at a distance r from the Sun, the nearest available dwarf-star primary is likely to be at ~30 pc ( r /45 AU) -2 . The secondary should consist of a one-dimensional array of mirrors extending ~170 m to achieve 1 AU resolution or ~350 m to achieve ≪1 AU resolution.