
Dainis Dravins
Professor emeritus

Intensity interferometry : Optical imaging with kilometer baselines
Author
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.
Department/s
- Lund Observatory - Undergoing reorganization
Publishing year
2016
Language
English
Publication/Series
Optical and Infrared Interferometry and Imaging V
Volume
9907
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