1 9 3 6 ,in H o n g K o n ga s th e son ofa na m b a s s a d o r , F ra n k e a rly b e c a m e a c q u a in te d w itha n in te r n a tio n a l e n v ir o n m e n t. N e w ly m a rrie d to A n ita ,h e jo in e d E S Oin1 9 6 7a s o n e o f its firs t E u ro p e a n s ta ff m e m b e rsin C h ile . T h e e x p e r ie n c eh eg a in e d a tL a S illa , fir s tin m e te o r o lo g y a n d th e n

F ra n k d e v e lo p e d in to th e p rim a ry lo c a l s o ftw a re e x p e rt.H er a p id ly le a rn e d to m a s te r n o t o n ly th e c o m p u te r s y s te m s a v a ila b le , b u t a ls o s o m e o f th e te c h n iq u e s o f im a g e p r o c e s s in g , a t th a t tim e

o f F r a n k 's e ffo rts w e re tru ly im p re s s iv e . H is Im a g e H a n d lin g P ro g ra m m e (IH A P )iss till u n r iv a lle d fo r a n a ly s is o f o b s e r v a tio n sin s te lla r s p e c tro s c o p y . A t th e s a m e tim ea sn u m e ro u s o th e r s o ftw a re im a g e -p ro c e s s in g s y s te m s a p p e a re d a n d d is a p p e a re d , F ra n k s te a d ily im p r o v e d th e p o te n tia l o f h is IH A P .Itw a s a s ig n o f h is s u c c e s s th a th ere c e iv e ds o m a n y re q u e s ts fro m in s titu te s a n d in d iv id u a ls t o s o lv e a ls o th e ir o fte n q u ite s p e c ia l p r o b le m s . A p r o o f o f F r a n k 's a b ility a n d c a p a c itya sw e il a so f h is g e n e r o s ity w a s th e fa c t th a th ed id , in d e e d , s o lv e

fu rth e r d is tr ib u tio n o f IH A P fa c ilitie sisa c c e le ra te d th ro u g h its in c o r \ue000 p o r a tio n in to th eE S O

E u ro p e a n o u tp u t o f a s tro n o m ic a l s p e c \ue000 tr o g r a p h ic d a ta . A la rg e p r o p o r tio n o f le a d in g s c ie n tis ts h a v e depended and

o f th e s tim u la tin g a tm o s p h e r e ty p ic a l o f th e ir h o m e .W ew ill a lw a y s r e m e m b e r o u r d is c u s s io n s c o n c e r n in g

lite ra tu re , a rt, m u s ic , p o litic s a n d o th e r s u b je c ts d e a lt w ithinth e s p e c ia l M id d e lb u r g w a y . O u r d e e p s y m p a t h y g o e s to A n ita , S a s k ia a n d M ir ia m , w h o g a v e o u r frie n d F ra n k s u c h w o n d e rfu l s u p p o rt th ro u g h h is d iffic u lt la s t y e a rs .

th e o rig in a l in te rfe ro g ra m , a b in a ry im a g e c o n ta in in g in fo r m a tio n a b o u t th e p o s itio n s o f t h e fr in g e m a x im a . T h e v a lu e o f a p ix e linth e b in a r y im a g eis 1 if th e p ix e l c o r r e s p o n d s to a re la tiv e m a x im u m

e n o u g h to a n a ly s e th e frin g e s , a n d a u to m a tic m e th o d s p ro \ue000 p o s e ds o fa r s to p a t th is s ta g e , p e rh a p s a d d in g a m o re o rle s s c o m p lic a te d s c h e m e fo r th e n u m b e rin g o f th e frin g e s . H o w \ue000 e v e r,in

In te rfe ro m e tric te c h n iq u e s h a v e b e e n u s e din o p tic a l te s tin g fo r a lo n g tim e .T h ein tr o d u c tio n o f th e la s e r m a d e th is m e th o d a ro u tin e p r o c e d u r ein th e e v a lu a tio n o f th e q u a lity o f o p tic a l c o m p o n e n ts . T h e in te rp re ta tio n o f in te rfe ro g ra m sisinp r in c i\ue000 p ie

r e p r e s e n t lin e s o f e q u a l p h a s e d iffe re n c e b e tw e e n tw o w a v e fro n ts , o n e o fw h ic his o fte n fla t o r s p h e r ic a l. T h e

frin g e sisu s u a lly o n e w a v e le n g th o f th e r a d ia tio n u s e d .F ro m th e s h a p e a n d re la tiv e o r d e r n u m b e r o f th e frin g e s , th e m a p re p re s e n tin g

o p tic a l a b e rra \ue000 tio n s lik e s p h e ric a l a b e rra tio n o r c o m a . A d iffic u ltyh a sa lw a y s b e e n

1 .c ,th e s e p o s itio n s a re c o n n e c te db y th e frin g e id e n tific a tio n a lg o rith m .In th e p r e s e n t s ta tu so f th e p r o g r a m , o n ly o n e lin k h a d to b e e s ta b lis h e d m a n u a lly .

O u r m e th o d in c lu d e s a s e c o n d s te p w h e re w e in tro d u c e th e in fo rm a tio n a b o u t g e n e ra l p ro p e rtie s o f frin g e s (b e in g lin e s o f e q u a l p h a s e ),

a re c irc u la r. B y in tr o d u c in g th is in fo r m a tio n w e h a v e b e e n a b le to d e fin ea na lg o rith m th a t " r e c o g n iz e s " th e frin g e s ,i.e .is a b le to r e je c t

G iv e n th e m o d u la r ity o f th e im p le m e n ta tio n , itisp o s s ib le to u s e o p tio n a l s te p s to im p r o v e th e re s u lts a t a n y s ta g einth e a n a ly s is . T h e

o rd e r to re d u c e th e im a g e s iz e a n d th e c o m p u tin g tim e ; d iffe r e n t filte rs can be usedt ore d u c e th e n o is ein th e o rig in a l in te rfe ro g ra m ; th in n in g a lg o r ith m s w ill a llo w a b e tte r d e fin itio n o f th e frin g e sin th e b in a r y im a g e , p r e v io u s lyt o th e s e c o n d s te p .

o rd e r to illu s tra te th e a lg o r ith m ; itisa c o m p lic a te d c a s e b e c a u s e s o m e frin g e s a re c u t d u e to th e p re s e n c e o fa no b je c tin th e fie ld o f

p o s itio n s d e te c te dinth e fir s t s te p o f th e m e th o d , it in c lu d e s s p u r io u s frin g e

n o t o n ly fo r a n a ly s is o f in te r \ue000 fe r o g r a m s ; s im ila r p r in c ip le s a re a p p lic a b le to th e r e d u c tio n o f m u ltip le

c o m m a n d s th a t a llo w th e a u to m a tic a n a ly s is o f th e in te r fe r o \ue000 g ra m sa sw e il a sth e re p re s e n ta tio n o f th e in te rm e d ia te re s u lts . T h is im p le m e n ta tio n o p e n s a n e w fie ld o f a p p lic a tio n s , s o th a t M IO A S c a n b e u s e d n o t o n ly fo r d a ta r e d u c tio n b u t a ls ointh e te s tin g a n d

a n d H I O b s e rv a tio n so f B lu e C o m p a e t D w a r f G a la x ie s . C o n tr ib u tio n to th e P ro c e e d in g s o f th e

M . A u rie re ,A . M a u e h e ra t, J .-P . C o rd o n i,B . F o rt a n d J .P . P ic a t: T h e X -ra y S o u rc einM1 5 : A B in a ry C o m p o s e d o f a N e u tro n S ta r p lu s a P o s t M a in - S e q u e n c e S ta r?A s tro n o m y a n d A s tro p h y s ic s . N ovem ber1 9 8 5 .