CfA: Gamma-Ray Scientists "Dust Off" Intensity Interferometry
Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2020 3:50 pm
Gamma-Ray Scientists "Dust Off" Intensity Interferometry, Upgrade Technology
with Digital Electronics, Larger Telescopes, and Improved Sensitivity
Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics | 2020 Jul 20
Demonstration of stellar intensity interferometry with the four VERITAS telescopes ~ A. U. Abeysekara et al
with Digital Electronics, Larger Telescopes, and Improved Sensitivity
Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics | 2020 Jul 20
Scientists in the VERITAS Collaboration have measured the angular diameter of stars using stellar intensity interferometry for the first time in nearly 50 years, and demonstrated both improvements to the sensitivity of the technique and its scalability using digital electronics.
... VERITAS (Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) scientists measured the angular diameters of Beta Canis Majoris -- a blue giant star located 500 light-years from the Sun -- and Epsilon Orionis -- a blue supergiant star located 2,000 light-years from the Sun. ...
VERITAS used all four of its gamma-ray telescopes, located at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory in Amado, Arizona, to increase its coverage and provide greater resolution for observation. ...
The first telescopes to perform stellar measurements using intensity interferometry were the Narrabri telescopes in the 1970s. “Narrabri measured 32 stars in the southern hemisphere, and to significantly improve upon that result required a large leap in technology,” said Wystan Benbow, Director, VERITAS. “Right now we are pathfinding for the future Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA); we have proven that we can add 100 telescopes to this design, enabling astronomers to image features on stellar surfaces with unparalleled optical resolution.” ...
Demonstration of stellar intensity interferometry with the four VERITAS telescopes ~ A. U. Abeysekara et al
- Nature Astronomy (online 20 Jul 2020) DOI: 10.1038/s41550-020-1143-y