Monte Carlo simulation of stellar intensity interferometry

Abstract

Stellar intensity interferometers will achieve stellar imaging with a tenth of a milli-arcsecond resolution in the optical band by taking advantage of the large light collecting area and broad range of intertelescope distances offered by future gamma-ray AirCherenkov Telescope (ACT) arrays. Up to now, studies characterizing the capabilities of intensity interferometers using ACTs have not accounted for realistic effects such as telescope mirror extension, detailed photodetector time response, excess noise and night sky contamination. In this paper, we present the semiclassical quantum optics Monte Carlo simulation we developed in order to investigate these experimental limitations. In order to validate the simulation algorithm, we compare our first results to models for sensitivity and signal degradation resulting from mirror extension, pulse shape, detector excess noise and night sky contamination. © 2013 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.