Related papers: First faint dual-field phase-referenced observatio…
The ASTrometric and phase-Referenced Astronomy (ASTRA) project will provide phase referencing and astrometric observations at the Keck Interferometer, leading to enhanced sensitivity and the ability to monitor orbits at an accuracy level of…
Spatial phase-referencing in dual-field optical interferometry is reconsidered. Our analysis is based on the 2-sample variance of the differential phase between target and reference star. We show that averaging over time of the atmospheric…
We present simulations of Keck Interferometer ASTRA and VLTI GRAVITY observations of mock star fields in orbit within ~50 milliarcseconds of Sgr A*. Dual-field phase referencing techniques, as implemented on ASTRA and planned for GRAVITY,…
The sensitivity and astrometry upgrade ASTRA of the Keck Interferometer is introduced. After a brief overview of the underlying interferometric principles, the technology and concepts of the upgrade are presented. The interferometric…
ASTRA (ASTrometric and phase-Referencing Astronomy) is an upgrade to the existing Keck Interferometer which aims at providing new self-phase referencing (high spectral resolution observation of YSOs), dual-field phase referencing (sensitive…
Phase referencing is a standard calibration procedure in radio interferometry. It allows to detect weak sources by using quasi-simultaneous observations of closeby sources acting as calibrators. Therefore, it is assumed that, for each…
Atmospheric turbulence is a serious problem for ground-based interferometers. It places tight limits on both sensitivity and measurement precision. Phase referencing is a method to overcome these limitations via the use of a bright…
GRAVITY is a new instrument to coherently combine the light of the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope Interferometer to form a telescope with an equivalent 130 m diameter angular resolution and a collecting area of 200…
The exploration of extragalactic objects with long-baseline interferometers in the near-infrared has been very limited. Here we report successful observations with the Keck interferometer at K-band (2.2 um) for four Type 1 AGNs, namely…
We present observations of the T Tauri stars BP Tau, DG Tau, DI Tau, GM Aur, LkCa 15, RW Aur and V830 Tau, using long baseline infrared interferometry at K band (2.2 microns) from the Keck Interferometer. The target sources have a range of…
In order for telescopes to obtain good and precise images they need to see through atmospheric turbulence. To accomplish this and compensate for atmospheric turbulence we use Adaptive Optics technologies. In this thesis we analyze the…
Context. The GRAVITY instrument on the ESO VLTI is setting a new mark in the landscape of optical interferometers. Long exposures are possible for the first time in this wavelength domain, delivering a dramatic improvement for astrophysics.…
We present new K-band long baseline interferometer observations of three young stellar objects of the FU Orionis class, V1057 Cyg, V1515 Cyg and Z CMa-SE, obtained at the Keck Interferometer during its commissioning science period. The…
In this work we present an observational technique and a detailed analysis of the stellar interferograms produced by three bright stars: Betelgeuse, Rigel and Sirius. It is shown that the atmospheric turbulence is responsible for the…
Laser guide stars with adaptive optics allow astronomical image correction in the absence of a natural guide star. Single guide star systems with a star created in the earth's sodium layer can be used to correct the wavefront in the near…
Strong turbulence conditions create amplitude aberrations through the effects of near-field diffraction. When integrated over long optical path lengths, amplitude aberrations (seen as scintillation) can nullify local areas in the recorded…
The GRAVITY instrument has been commissioned on the VLTI during 2016 and is now available to the astronomical community. It is the first optical interferometer capable of observing sources as faint as magnitude 19 in K-band. This is…
Context: A turbulent atmosphere causes atmospheric piston variations leading to rapid changes in the optical path difference of an interferometer, which causes correlated flux losses. This leads to decreased sensitivity and accuracy in the…
Astronomers working with faint targets will benefit greatly from improved image quality on current and planned ground-based telescopes. At present, most adaptive optic systems are targeted at the highest resolution with bright guide stars.…
Dome seeing is a known source of image quality degradation, but despite tremendous progress in wavefront control with the development of adaptive optics and environmental control through implementation of dome venting, surprisingly little…