Dr. Thomas J. McMahon Profile

Dr. Thomas J. McMahon

Project Manager at Univ of Arizona

SPIE Involvement:

Author

Publications (22)

Proceedings Article | 22 August 2024 Poster

Poster

An overview of the on-ground and in-orbit calibration of Far-Ultraviolet Spectrographs for the Aspera SmallSat

Aafaque Khan, Carl Hergenrother, Miriam Keppler, Heejoo Choi, Haeun Chung, Carlos Vargas, Erika Hamden, Jason Corliss, Elijah Garcia, Daniel Truong, Naomi Yescas, Oswald H. Siegmund, Keri Hoadley, Adrian Martin, Hannah Tanquary, Thomas McMahon, Nazende Kerkeser, Jacob Vider

Proceedings Volume 13093, 1309333 (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3020385

Proceedings Article | 21 August 2024 Poster + Paper

Poster + Paper

Contamination control for the Aspera FUV SmallSat

Nicole Melso, Aafaque Khan, Hannah Tanquary, Elijah Garcia, Daniel Truong, Naomi Yescas, Sooseong Park, Sumedha Uppnor, Carlos Vargas, Haeun Chung, Tom Mcmahon, Keri Hoadley, Erika Hamden, Jason Corliss, Bill Verts, Simran Agarwal, Ramona Augustin, Peter Behroozi, Harrison Bradley, Trenton Brendel, Joe Burchett, Jasmine Martinez Castillo, Jacob Chambers, Heejoo Choi, Lauren Corlies, Fernando Coronado, Greyson Davis, Ralf-Jürgen Dettmar, Ewan Douglas, Giulia Ghidoli, Alfred Goodwin, Dave Hamara, Walt Harris, Carl Hergenrother, J. Christopher Howk, Miriam Keppler, Nazende ipek Kerkeser, John Kidd, DaeWook Kim, Jessica Li, Jamison Noenickx, Gabe Noriega, Ryan Pecha, Cork Sauve, David Schiminovich, Sanford Selznick, Oswald Siegmund, Rebecca Su, Ellie Wolcott, Dennis Zaritsky

Proceedings Volume 13093, 130932Q (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3017698

KEYWORDS: Contamination, Vacuum chambers, Contamination control, Humidity, Vacuum, Far ultraviolet

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Proceedings Article | 27 September 2023 Presentation

Presentation

Payload design and development of Aspera: the UV SmallSat mission for mapping warm-hot phase gas in nearby galaxy halos

Haeun Chung, Carlos Vargas, Erika Hamden, Thomas McMahon, Hannah Tanquary, Peter Behroozi, Ewan Douglas, Miriam Keppler, Nicole Melso, Simran Agarwal, Aafaque Khan, Jessica Li, Sumedha Uppnor, Jacob Chambers, Giulia Ghidoli, Gabe Noriega, Ryan Pecha, Ellie Wolcott, Fernando Coronado, Elijah Garcia, Daniel Truong, Naomi Yescas, Heejoo Choi, Tom Connors, Jason Corliss, Dave Hamara, Walter Harris, Karl Harshman, Daewook Kim, Corwynn Sauve, Bill Verts, Michael Ward, Dennis Zaritsky, Carl Hergenrother, John Kidd, Sanford Selznick, Oswald Siegmund, Simon Grocott, David Schiminovich, Keri Hoadley

Proceedings Volume 12678, 126780C (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2677212

KEYWORDS: Galactic astronomy, Design and modelling, Ultraviolet radiation, Spectrographs, Optical alignment, Computer generated holography, Ultraviolet telescopes, Ultraviolet detectors, UV-Vis spectroscopy, Tolerancing

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Proceedings Article | 13 December 2020 Poster + Paper

Poster + Paper

Manufacture of 8.4 m segments for the GMT primary mirror

H. Martin, R. Ceragioli, B. Jannuzi, D. W. Kim, J. Kingsley, K Law, A. Loeff, R. Lutz, T. McMahon, S. Meyen, C. J. Oh, M. Tuell, S. Weinberger, S. West, R. Wortley

Proceedings Volume 11451, 114514F (2020) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2590568

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Proceedings Article | 24 July 2018 Presentation + Paper

Presentation + Paper

The HOSTS survey for exo-zodiacal dust: preliminary results and future prospects

S. Ertel, G. Kennedy, D. Defrère, P. Hinz, A. Shannon, B. Mennesson, W. C. Danchi, C. Gelino, J. M. Hill, W. Hoffman, G. Rieke, E. Spalding, J. Stone, A. Vaz, A. Weinberger, P. Willems, O. Absil, P. Arbo, V. Bailey, C. Beichman, G. Bryden, E. Downey, O. Durney, S. Esposito, A. Gaspar, P. Grenz, C. Haniff, J. Leisenring, L. Marion, T. McMahon, R. Millan-Gabet, M. Montoya, K. Morzinski, E. Pinna, J. Power, A. Puglisi, A. Roberge, E. Serabyn, A. Skemer, K. Stapelfeldt, K. Y. L. Su, V. Vaitheeswaran, M. Wyatt

Proceedings Volume 10698, 106981V (2018) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2313685

KEYWORDS: Stars, Planets, Calibration, Statistical analysis, Exoplanets, Space telescopes, Nulling interferometry, Astronomy, Telescopes, Interferometry

Read Abstract +

The presence of large amounts of dust in the habitable zones of nearby stars is a significant obstacle for future exo-Earth imaging missions. We executed the HOSTS (Hunt for Observable Signatures of Terrestrial Systems) survey to determine the typical amount of such exozodiacal dust around a sample of nearby main sequence stars. The majority of the data have been analyzed and we present here an update of our ongoing work. Nulling interferometry in N band was used to suppress the bright stellar light and to detect faint, extended circumstellar dust emission. We present an overview of the latest results from our ongoing work. We find seven new N band excesses in addition to the high confidence confirmation of three that were previously known. We find the first detections around Sun-like stars and around stars without previously known circumstellar dust. Our overall detection rate is 23%. The inferred occurrence rate is comparable for early type and Sun-like stars, but decreases from 71^{+11 -20}% for stars with previously detected mid- to far-infrared excess to 11^{+9 -4}% for stars without such excess, confirming earlier results at high confidence. For completed observations on individual stars, our sensitivity is five to ten times better than previous results. Assuming a lognormal luminosity function of the dust, we find upper limits on the median dust level around all stars without previously known mid to far infrared excess of 11.5 zodis at 95% confidence level. The corresponding upper limit for Sun-like stars is 16 zodis. An LBTI vetted target list of Sun-like stars for exo-Earth imaging would have a corresponding limit of 7.5 zodis. We provide important new insights into the occurrence rate and typical levels of habitable zone dust around main sequence stars. Exploiting the full range of capabilities of the LBTI provides a critical opportunity for the detailed characterization of a sample of exozodiacal dust disks to understand the origin, distribution, and properties of the dust.

Proceedings Article | 10 July 2018 Presentation + Paper

Presentation + Paper

Manufacture of primary mirror segments for the Giant Magellan Telescope

H. Martin, R. Allen, V. Gasho, B. Jannuzi, D. W. Kim, J. Kingsley, K. Law, A. Loeff, R. Lutz, T. McMahon, C. J. Oh, M. Tuell, S. Weinberger, S. West

Proceedings Volume 10706, 107060V (2018) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2312935

KEYWORDS: Mirrors, Polishing, Surface finishing, Telescopes, Optical testing, Optics manufacturing, Manufacturing, Optical fabrication, Interferometry

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Proceedings Article | 26 July 2016 Paper

Paper

Engineering aspects of the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory adaptive optics systems

Guido Brusa, Dave Ashby, Julian Christou, Jonathan Kern, Michael Lefebvre, Tom McMahon, Douglas Miller, Gustavo Rahmer, Richard Sosa, Gregory Taylor, Conrad Vogel, Xianyu Zhang

Proceedings Volume 9909, 990903 (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2234733

KEYWORDS: Adaptive optics, Telescopes, Sensors, Mirrors, Calibration, Control systems, Actuators, Coating, Observatories, Interferometers

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Proceedings Article | 16 September 2015 Paper

Paper

Exoplanet science with the LBTI: instrument status and plans

D. Defrère, P. Hinz, A. Skemer, V. Bailey, E. Downey, O. Durney, J. Eisner, J. Hill, W. Hoffmann, J. Leisenring, T. McMahon, M. Montoya, E. Spalding, J. Stone, A. Vaz, O. Absil, S. Esposito, M. Kenworthy, B. Mennesson, R. Millan-Gabet, M. Nelson, A. Puglisi, M. Skrutskie, J. Wilson

Proceedings Volume 9605, 96051G (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2188912

KEYWORDS: Exoplanets, Interferometry, Error analysis, Telescopes, Nulling interferometry, Planets, Sensors, Adaptive optics, Coronagraphy, Spatial resolution

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Proceedings Article | 24 July 2014 Paper

Paper

Commissioning the LBTI for use as a nulling interferometer and coherent imager

Phil Hinz, Vanessa Bailey, D. Defrère, E. Downey, Simone Esposito, J. Hill, William Hoffmann, J. Leisenring, Manny Montoya, T. McMahon, A. Puglisi, A. Skemer, M. Skrutskie, Vidhya Vaitheeswaran, Amali Vaz

Proceedings Volume 9146, 91460T (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2057340

KEYWORDS: Calibration, Nulling interferometry, Interferometers, Error analysis, Imaging systems, Telescopes, Stars, Coherence imaging, Sensors, Signal detection

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Proceedings Article | 24 July 2014 Paper

Paper

Co-phasing the Large Binocular Telescope: status and performance of LBTI/PHASECam

D. Defrère, P. Hinz, E. Downey, D. Ashby, V. Bailey, G. Brusa , J. Christou, W. Danchi, P. Grenz, J. Hill, W. Hoffmann, J. Leisenring, J. Lozi, T. McMahon, B. Mennesson, R. Millan-Gabet, M. Montoya, K. Powell, A. Skemer, V. Vaitheeswaran, A. Vaz, C. Veillet

Proceedings Volume 9146, 914609 (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2057178

KEYWORDS: Telescopes, Mirrors, Phase measurement, Interferometry, Nulling interferometry, Sensors, Space telescopes, Interferometers, Infrared imaging, Exoplanets

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Proceedings Article | 24 September 2012 Paper

Paper

TIGER: a high contrast infrared imager for the Giant Magellan Telescope

Philip Hinz, Johanan Codona, Olivier Guyon, William Hoffmann, Andrew Skemer, Joseph Hora, Volker Tolls, Alan Boss, Alycia Weinberger, Paul Arbo, Thomas Connors, Olivier Durney, Thomas McMahon, Manny Montoya, Vidhya Vaitheeswaran

Proceedings Volume 8446, 84461P (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.926751

KEYWORDS: Coronagraphy, Adaptive optics, Cameras, Stars, Telescopes, Speckle, Infrared telescopes, Infrared imaging, Infrared radiation, Sensors

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Proceedings Article | 13 September 2012 Paper

Paper

Design and predicted performance of the GMT ground-layer adaptive optics mode

Philip Hinz, Guido Brusa, Vidhya Vaitheeswaran, Tom McMahon, Tom Connors, Russell Knox, Antonin Bouchez, Manny Montoya

Proceedings Volume 8447, 84473R (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.926727

KEYWORDS: Stars, Adaptive optics, Telescopes, Turbulence, Point spread functions, Sensors, Device simulation, Laser guide stars, Wavefront sensors, Mirrors

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Proceedings Article | 13 September 2012 Paper

Paper

The Giant Magellan Telescope adaptive optics program

Antonin Bouchez, D. Scott Acton, Guido Agapito, Carmelo Arcidiacono, Francis Bennet, Valdemaro Biliotti, Marco Bonaglia, Runa Briguglio, Guido Brusa-Zappellini, Lorenzo Busoni, Luca Carbonaro, Johanan Codona, Rodolphe Conan, Thomas Connors, Oliver Durney, Brady Espeland, Simone Esposito, Luca Fini, Rusty Gardhouse, Thomas Gauron, Michael Hart, Philip Hinz, Srikrishna Kanneganti, Edward Kibblewhite, Russell Knox, Brian McLeod, Thomas McMahon, Manny Montoya, Timothy Norton, Mark Ordway, Celine d'Orgeville, Simon Parcell, Piotr Piatrou, Enrico Pinna, Ian Price, Alfio Puglisi, Fernando Quiros-Pacheco, Armando Riccardi, John Roll, Gelys Trancho, Kristina Uhlendorf, Vidhya Vaitheeswaran, Marcos van Dam, David Weaver, Marco Xompero

Proceedings Volume 8447, 84471I (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.926691

KEYWORDS: Adaptive optics, Wavefront sensors, Telescopes, Mirrors, Sensors, Laser guide stars, Wavefronts, Tomography, Calibration, Atmospheric optics

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Proceedings Article | 12 September 2012 Paper

Paper

First AO-corrected interferometry with LBTI: steps towards routine coherent imaging observations

Phil Hinz, P. Arbo, V. Bailey, T. Connors, O. Durney, Simone Esposito, W. Hoffmann, T. Jones, J. Leisenring, M. Montoya, M. Nash, M. Nelson, T. McMahon, E. Pinna, A. Puglisi, A. Skemer, M. Skrutskie, V. Vaitheeswaran

Proceedings Volume 8445, 84450U (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.926746

KEYWORDS: Adaptive optics, Telescopes, Interferometry, Prototyping, Stars, Point spread functions, Coherence imaging, Cameras, Imaging systems, Exoplanets

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Proceedings Article | 22 July 2010 Paper

Paper

OVMS: the optical path difference and vibration monitoring system for the LBT and its interferometers

M. Kürster, T. Bertram, J. L. Borelli, M. Brix, W. Gässler, T. Herbst, V. Naranjo, J.-U. Pott, J. Trowitzsch, T. Connors, P. Hinz, T. McMahon, D. Ashby, J. Brynnel, N. Cushing, T. Edgin, J. Esguerra, R. Green, J. Kraus, J. Little, U. Beckmann, G. Weigelt

Proceedings Volume 7734, 77342Y (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.856693

KEYWORDS: Telescopes, Adaptive optics, Interferometers, Mirrors, Control systems, Data archive systems, Observatories, Data acquisition, Interferometry, Distributed computing

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Proceedings Article | 20 July 2010 Paper

Paper

The Large Binocular Telescope mid-infrared camera (LMIRcam): final design and status

M. Skrutskie, T. Jones, P. Hinz, P. Garnavich, J. Wilson, M. Nelson, E. Solheid, O. Durney, W. Hoffmann, V. Vaitheeswaran, T. McMahon, J. Leisenring, A. Wong

Proceedings Volume 7735, 77353H (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.857724

KEYWORDS: Mirrors, Sensors, Optical filters, Telescopes, L band, Cameras, Optical benches, Mid-IR, Optical instrument design, Electronics

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Proceedings Article | 28 July 2008 Paper

Paper

Status of the LBT interferometer

Philip Hinz, Teresa Bippert-Plymate, Andy Breuninger, Tom Connors, Brian Duffy, Simone Esposito, William Hoffmann, Jihun Kim, Joe Kraus, Thomas McMahon, Manny Montoya, Richard Nash, Olivier Durney, Elliott Solheid, Andrea Tozzi, Vidhya Vaitheeswaran

Proceedings Volume 7013, 701328 (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.790211

KEYWORDS: Mirrors, Interferometers, Telescopes, Cameras, Observatories, Infrared radiation, Imaging systems, Wavefront sensors, Ferroelectric materials, Infrared imaging

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Proceedings Article | 28 June 2006 Paper

Paper

Characterization of common path phase sensing for nulling interferometry

Peter Hill, Philip Hinz, Tom McMahon, Tom Connors, Joe Kraus

Proceedings Volume 6268, 626831 (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.672813

KEYWORDS: Servomechanisms, Nulling interferometry, Phase shifts, Interferometers, Wavefront sensors, Beam splitters, Planets, Cameras, Telescopes, Wavefronts

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Proceedings Article | 20 October 2004 Paper

Paper

Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer: the universal beam combiner

Philip Hinz, Tom Connors, Tom McMahon, Andrew Cheng, Chien Peng, William Hoffmann, Donald McCarthy, Roger Angel

Proceedings Volume 5491, (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.552337

KEYWORDS: Mirrors, Telescopes, Interferometers, Adaptive optics, Ferroelectric materials, Interferometry, Point spread functions, Mid-IR, Optical design, Thermography

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Proceedings Article | 16 November 2000 Paper

Paper

Performance of the multiband imaging photometer for SIRTF

George Rieke, Erick Young, Peter Ade, Jeffrey Beeman, William Burmester, James Cadien, Kimberly Ennico, Karl Gordon, M. Hegge, Gerald Heim, M. Henderson, T. Horne, Doug Kelly, Thomas McMahon, M. Neitenbach, A. Noriega-Crespa, G. Rivlis, Richard Schnurr, John Schwenker, S. Siewert, John Stansberry, Donald Strecker, Gregory Winters, C. Yanoski

Proceedings Volume 4131, (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.406571

KEYWORDS: Detector arrays, Mirrors, Telescopes, Optical filters, Optical alignment, Space telescopes, Electronics, Far infrared, Photometry, Space operations

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Proceedings Article | 28 August 1998 Paper

Paper

Multiband imaging photometer for SIRTF

G. B. Heim, M. Henderson, Kim MacFeely, Thomas McMahon, David Michika, R. Pearson, George Rieke, John Schwenker, Donald Strecker, Craig Thompson, R. Warden, D. Wilson, Erick Young

Proceedings Volume 3356, (1998) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.324501

KEYWORDS: Mirrors, Staring arrays, Electronics, Sensors, Control systems, Space telescopes, Germanium, Space operations, Telescopes, Cryogenics

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Proceedings Article | 20 October 1993 Paper

Paper

Mid-Infrared Spectrometer on the Infrared Telescope in Space

Thomas Roellig, Takashi Onaka, Thomas McMahon, Toshihiko Tanabe

Proceedings Volume 1946, (1993) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.158677

KEYWORDS: Space telescopes, Sensors, Calibration, Telescopes, Infrared radiation, Spectroscopy, Amplifiers, Multiplexers, Mid-IR, Electronics

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Showing 5 of 22 publications

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