Through a $427,561 award from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), CSU Professor Elliott Horch is expanding Southern Connecticut State University’s role in astronomical research through an international collaboration developing a six-telescope array designed to capture high-resolution images of objects in space. The collaboration, known as “The Sephira Project,” also includes Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, Calif., and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.
Horch, chair of the Physics Department, leads Southern’s contribution, while Dr. Sagi Ben-Ami represents the Weizmann Institute. Carnegie Observatories is the lead institution for the project, with Dr. Nick Konidaris directing the overall research effort. Carnegie Observatories received $980,286 from NSF for the project.
The two NSF awards total approximately $1.4 million, with additional funding anticipated from the Bilateral Science Foundation.
“The end result we hope will be a six-station telescope observatory where all six telescopes work together and function as one system so that we can get extremely high-resolution images of things that are in the sky,” Horch said.
The project will use a technique known as intensity interferometry, which allows researchers to combine observations from multiple telescopes without physically bringing their collected light together.
Unlike traditional optical interferometry, which combines light gathered by separate telescopes, intensity interferometry detects individual photons, or particles of light, and records the precise time they arrive. This approach allows the telescopes to be positioned farther apart while still combining their observations.
The greater distance between telescope stations can improve the resolution of the resulting images, Horch said.
Researchers hope the technology will help them determine properties of individual stars, including their size and mass, while also studying closely orbiting stars that can be difficult to distinguish from one another.
These measurements could provide astronomers with additional information about stellar structure and how stars change over time, Horch said.
As part of the collaboration, Carnegie Observatories will develop optical packages for the telescopes and send them to Southern for testing. The equipment will be evaluated using Southern’s existing telescopes before being incorporated into the final six-telescope array in Israel. The testing process will allow researchers to make improvements before the system is deployed at its final location.
Horch said Israel was selected because the site offers frequent clear weather and the infrastructure needed to build and operate the observatory. Its connection to the Weizmann Institute also supports the collaboration.
At Southern, the grant will help fund student workers and graduate assistants who will assist with operating equipment and collecting observations.
“Our portion of the project is really student-centered because we already have a working instrument, and we need folks to help us run it,” Horch said.
The research also connects with Southern’s broader investment in quantum science. Through its Center for Quantum and Nanotechnology and participation in QuantumCT, a statewide initiative supported by a $15 million NSF award, the university has continued developing opportunities in the field.
The Sephira Project adds to those efforts through photon-counting technology, which Horch said is fundamentally connected to quantum science.
“It’s exciting that Southern could be a big piece of training this quantum workforce, not just because we have these grants that will involve students, but it’s also a moment where the Physics Department is thinking about creating a whole undergraduate program in quantum engineering,” Horch said.
Beyond its initial six telescopes, the project could provide a foundation for future expansion. Horch said the technology could eventually be used to create larger arrays capable of producing even higher-resolution images.
“This is a spectacular picture of how this university could grow in that area and really produce graduates who have unique skills that could help drive the Connecticut economy forward for years to come,” Horch said.
