Simulating instrumental phase errors for SIM

The Space Interferometer Mission (SIM) has considerably capabilities for imaging of complex targets with the resolution of a diffraction-limited 12 m telescope. The exact performance of SIM in this regard depends--among other factors--critically on its mechanical stability. For example, structural vibrations will lead to errors in the delay line position and thus in the derived phase of the incoming wavefront. Depending on the time constants of such vibrations and on whether or not they are random in nature, image reconstruction can be affected in different ways.