Aug 2026· Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation· Vol 14148, pp. 141480K - 141480K-7· 0 citations· 14 references
EngineeringPhysics
Abstract
Dual-field interferometry uses a bright reference star for real-time fringe tracking, allowing a second beam combiner to record long coherent integrations on a fainter off-axis science target. At the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array, we implement this mode using the six-telescope MIRC-X and MYSTIC beam combiners in the H and K bands, respectively. We first demonstrated this capability in summer 2025 on the hierarchical triple α Piscium. MIRC-X tracked component A in the H band, while MYSTIC observed component B in the K band, resolving the 7 mas Ba–Bb subsystem and measuring the relative astrometry of the 1.85 arcsec A–B pair with an uncertainty of 234 μas. Here, we describe subsequent phase-tracking testing, preliminary sensitivity simulations, and planned instrumental upgrades aimed at extending this mode to faint off-axis science targets.
We present PLANETES, a technology development project that aims at demonstrating GRAVITY-style dualfield interferometry into the J band. Building on PIONIER’s legacy in short-wavelength interferometry and GRAVITY’s breakthroughs in dual-field operation, this demonstrator integrates dual-field injection, integratedoptic...
M. Nowak, Sylvestre Lacour, R. Abuter et al.· Astronomical Telescopes + In...· 0 citations
The Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array is a six-element interferometer at Mount Wilson Observatory with baselines ranging from 34 to 331m. The Array hosts a number of new or upgraded, six-telescope beam combiners that span the spectrum from the visible R-band to the near-infrared K-band with a r...
D. Gies, G. Schaefer, N. Scott et al.· Astronomical Telescopes + In...· 0 citations
Polarimetric interferometry combines milliarcsecond angular resolution with sensitivity to scattered light and can therefore probe both dust formation around evolved stars and dust survival at the inner rims of planet-forming disks. At optical and near-infrared wavelengths, however, the many oblique reflections in an i...
L. Shuai, J. Monnier, B. Setterholm et al.· Astronomical Telescopes + In...· 0 citations
We present an overview of how recent and upcoming GRAVITY+ upgrades at the VLTI interconnect instrument and science, enabling high-angular-resolution studies of active galactic nuclei (AGN). Improvements such as wideangle off-axis fringe tracking, enhanced fringe-tracker performance, and state-of-the-art adaptive optic...
S. Pappert, Yi-Xian Cao, R. Davies et al.· Astronomical Telescopes + In...· 1 citation
We present the instrument description and the first on-sky observations for the new CHara ARray Integrated Optics Testbench (CHARIOT) at the CHARA Array. CHARIOT is a 2-telescope proof-of-concept instrument that utilises a fibre-connectorised beam combiner fabricated by ultrafast laser-inscription in Infrasil quartz...
A. Dinkelaker, K. Barjot, N. Scott et al.· Monthly notices of the Royal...· 0 citations
Nulling interferometry is a promising method for direct detection and characterization of faint stellar companions such as exoplanets and faint binary sources. The dominant constraint on instrument performance is instability noise from vibrations, thermal expansions, and other systematic sources. Photonic instruments h...
Samantha G. Morrison, P. Gatkine, M. Fitzgerald· Astronomical Telescopes + In...· 0 citations
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