A Prelude to First Fringes with the MRO Interferometer

  • CART Astrophysics Seminar Series

October 17, 2024 2:00 PM
PAIS 3205

Host:
Diana Dragomir
Presenter:
Michelle Creech Eakman (NM Tech)
Long-baseline optical interferometry is arguably the only method that can be used to understand some of the most complex astrophysical questions that are still outstanding today.  The Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer, located just outside Socorro, NM, is on the verge of producing “first fringes” – the initial system measurement that demonstrates the sensitivity and precision of a new interferometer.  Although it has been a long and occasionally perilous trip to get to this point, our plan in the next few years is to move ahead with the complete design of the interferometer system – ultimately consisting of 10 moderate aperture movable telescopes on an array of baselines stretching to nearly 350 m – which will allow for model independent imaging of a variety of faint and complex sources.  I will present our vision design for the facility, some initial and aspirational science cases we plan to undertake, and progress anticipated in the next few years.

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