Intensity interferometry : Optical imaging with kilometer baselines

Summary, in English

Optical imaging with microarcsecond resolution will reveal details across and outside stellar surfaces but requires kilometer-scale interferometers, challenging to realize either on the ground or in space. Intensity interferometry, electronically connecting independent telescopes, has a noise budget that relates to the electronic time resolution, circumventing issues of atmospheric turbulence. Extents up to a few km are becoming realistic with arrays of optical air Cherenkov telescopes (primarily erected for gamma-ray studies), enabling an optical equivalent of radio interferometer arrays. Pioneered by Hanbury Brown and Twiss, digital versions of the technique have now been demonstrated, reconstructing diffraction-limited images from laboratory measurements over hundreds of optical baselines. This review outlines the method from its beginnings, describes current experiments, and sketches prospects for future observations.

• Author: Dainis Dravins
• Department/s: Lund Observatory - Undergoing reorganization
• Publishing year: 2016
• Language: English
• Publication/Series: Optical and Infrared Interferometry and Imaging V
• Volume: 9907
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.2234130
• Document type: Conference paper
• Publisher: SPIE
• Topic: Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics
• Keywords: Cherenkov telescopes; Intensity interferometry; Long baselines; Optical imaging; Stars; Stellar surfaces
• Conference name: Optical and Infrared Interferometry and Imaging V
• Conference date: 2016-06-27 - 2016-07-01
• Conference place: Edinburgh, United Kingdom
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISBN: 9781510601932