Israeli researchers developed an imaging system based on a synthetic aperture that stands to revolutionize the economics and imagery available from space-based cameras, Ben-Gurion University reported on Sunday.
A synthetic virtual aperture of an imaging system is much larger than a physical one.
The revolutionary innovation in the new system is that the physical aperture only scans the scope of the synthetic aperture, yet the system achieves the separate abilities as if the entire area was scanned.
So far, it is thought that the way to improve image resolution of distant celestial bodies was to use lenses, or huge telescope mirrors, sometimes several meters in diameter.
It was now found that there is no need for the entire telescope to get the correct images, and even with a small portion (0.43 percent), the frame can achieve an image resolution such as the full range of lens-based vision systems or concave mirrors.
Thus, the enormous cost, weight and material needed to build space telescopes with huge mirrors can be significantly reduced.
According to researchers, the invention completely changes the costs of space exploration, astronomy and aerial photography.
Advanced equipment that produces high-quality images is designed to be sent to space using small satellites, almost the size of a large milk carton.
The study focused on a system called Synthetic Marginal Aperture with Revolving Telescopes, which is based on an array of small subunits arranged along the perimeter of the large synthetic aperture.
To demonstrate the system's capabilities, the team built a miniature work model that simulates the large telescope.
This is to study the image resolution of the object shown in comparison to the images from a standard direct imaging system with the same dimensions of the apertures.
