# Sparse Image Reconstruction for the SPIDER Optical Interferometric Telescope

## TL;DR

This paper explores the application of sparse radio interferometric image reconstruction algorithms to the SPIDER optical interferometric telescope, aiming to enhance high-fidelity imaging for space science.

## Contribution

It adapts and demonstrates radio interferometric sparse reconstruction algorithms for optical imaging with the SPIDER telescope, a novel approach in this context.

## Key findings

- Algorithms successfully reconstruct optical sky images from simulated SPIDER data.
- Sparse reconstruction improves image quality and fidelity in optical interferometry.
- The approach supports the potential of SPIDER for high-resolution space imaging.

## Abstract

The concept of a recently proposed small-scale interferometric optical imaging device, an instrument known as the Segmented Planar Imaging Detector for Electro-optical Reconnaissance (SPIDER), is of great interest for its possible applications in astronomy and space science. Due to low weight, low power consumption, and high resolution, the SPIDER telescope could replace the large space telescopes that exist today. Unlike traditional optical interferometry the SPIDER accurately retrieves both phase and amplitude information, making the measurement process analogous to a radio interferometer. State of the art sparse radio interferometric image reconstruction techniques have been gaining traction in radio astronomy and reconstruct accurate images of the radio sky. In this work we describe algorithms from radio interferometric imaging and sparse image reconstruction and demonstrate their application to the SPIDER concept telescope through simulated observation and reconstruction of the optical sky. Such algorithms are important for providing high fidelity images from SPIDER observations, helping to power the SPIDER concept for scientific and astronomical analysis.