LINC-NIRVANA is an imaging interferometer for the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). It will combine the radiation from the two 8.4 m primary mirrors of the LBT in so-called "Fizeau" mode. This configuration preserves phase information, and allows true imagery over a wide field of view. The beam combiner will operate at wavelengths between 1.0 and 2.4 microns, using state-of-the-art detector arrays. When coupled with its advanced multi-conjugated adaptive optics system (MCAO), the LINC-NIRVANA instrument will deliver the sensitivity of a 12 m telescope and the spatial resolution of a 23 m telescope, over a field approximately 10 arcseconds square.

The LINC-NIRVANA consortium is a collaboration of four German and Italian institutes, including the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg (MPIA), the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Arcetri in Firenze (INAF-Arcetri), the University of Köln (UC), and the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn (MPIfR).

In order to manage complexity, the interferometric camera will be implemented in four steps. The first (LINC-mode) uses a single, on-axis adaptive optics system. Various transitional phases will verify the operation of the multi-conjugated adaptive optics, culminating in the final, baseline configuration, with wide-field interferometry and two-layer atmospheric correction.

The image at right shows LINC-NIRVANA (orange) mounted on the central instrument platform of the LBT. Light from the sky reflects from the two primary mirrors through an intermediate focus then bounces off the adaptive secondary mirrors. Tertiary mirrors directly above the primaries then redirect the radiation into the instrument.

Use the navigation panel above to learn more about LINC-NIRVANA instrument and the astronomical programs we hope to accomplish.

Move your mouse over the image to zoom in on LINC-NIRVANA