Related papers: Astro2020 White Paper State of the Profession: Int…
Most neighboring stars are still detected as point sources and are beyond the angular resolution reach of current observatories. Methods to improve our understanding of stars at high angular resolution are investigated. Air Cherenkov…
Recent proposals have been advanced to apply imaging air Cherenkov telescope arrays to stellar intensity interferometry (SII). Of particular interest is the possibility of model-independent image recovery afforded by the good (u, v)-plane…
Stellar intensity interferometry (SII) is based on the correlation of the light intensity fluctuations of a star detected at two or more telescopes, with no need to combine the collected photons directly. A measurement of the correlation in…
This white paper briefly summarizes stellar science opportunities enabled by ultra-high resolution (sub-100 {\mu} arc-sec) astronomical imaging in the visible (U/V) wavebands. Next generation arrays of Imaging Cherenkov telescopes, to be…
The VERITAS Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope array (IACT) was augmented in 2019 with high-speed focal plane electronics to create a new Stellar Intensity Interferometry (SII) observational capability (VERITAS-SII, or VSII). VSII…
Sub-milliarcsecond imaging of nearby main sequence stars and binary systems can provide critical information on stellar phenomena such as rotational deformation, accretion effects, and the universality of starspot (sunspot) cycles.…
The VERITAS Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescope (IACT) array was augmented in 2019 with high-speed focal plane electronics to allow its use for Stellar Intensity Interferometry (SII) observations. Since January 2019, the VERITAS Stellar…
Direct determination of fundamental stellar parameters has many profound and wide-ranging impacts throughout astrophysics. These determinations are rooted in high angular resolution observations. In particular, as long-baseline optical…
Intensity interferometry permits very long optical baselines and the observation of sub-milliarcsecond structures. Using planned kilometric arrays of air Cherenkov telescopes at short wavelengths, intensity interferometry may increase the…
The University of Sydney has a long history in optical stellar interferometry. The first project, in the 1960s, was the Narrabri Stellar Intensity Interferometer, which measured the angular diameters of 32 hot stars and established the…
Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes have long been viewed as potential light collectors to be used for long baseline optical intensity interferometry observations. Intensity interferometry, as implemented with Cherenkov telescopes, is…
A new generation of optical intensity interferometers are emerging in recent years taking advantage of the existing infrastructure of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs). The MAGIC SII (Stellar Intensity Interferometer) in La…
Optical intensity interferometry, developed in the 1950s, is a simple and inexpensive method for achieving angular resolutions on microarcsecond scales. Its low sensitivity has limited intensity interferometric observations to bright stars…
In this whitepaper, we outline how recent technological advances and ongoing developments open qualitatively new science opportunities in cosmology, fundamental physics, and quantum astrophysics. First, intensity interferometry can…
Intensity interferometry exploits a quantum optical effect in order to measure objects with extremely small angular scales. The first experiment to use this technique was the Narrabri intensity interferometer, which was successfully used in…
High angular resolution observations at optical wavelengths provide valuable insights in stellar astrophysics, directly measuring fundamental stellar parameters, and probing stellar atmospheres, circumstellar disks, elongation of rapidly…
Using kilometric arrays of air Cherenkov telescopes, intensity interferometry may increase the spatial resolution in optical astronomy by an order of magnitude, enabling images of rapidly rotating stars with structures in their…
In recent years, a new generation of optical intensity interferometers has emerged, leveraging the existing infrastructure of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs). The MAGIC telescopes host the MAGIC-SII system (Stellar…
The apparent size of stars is a crucial benchmark for fundamental stellar properties such as effective temperatures, radii and surface gravities. While interferometric measurements of stellar angular diameters are the most direct method to…
Future large arrays of telescopes, used as intensity interferometers, can be used to image the surfaces of stars with unprecedented angular resolution. Fast-rotating, hot stars are particularly attractive targets for intensity…