Published November 2009
| public
Journal Article
Astrometry with the Keck Interferometer: The ASTRA project and its science
Abstract
The sensitivity and astrometry upgrade ASTRA of the Keck Interferometer is introduced. After a brief overview of the underlying interferometric principles, the technology and concepts of the upgrade are presented. The interferometric dual-field technology of ASTRA will provide the KI with the means to observe two objects simultaneously, and measure the distance between them with a precision eventually better than 100 µas. This astrometric functionality of ASTRA will add a unique observing tool to fields of astrophysical research as diverse as exo-planetary kinematics, binary astrometry, and the investigation of stars accelerated by the massive black hole in the center of the Milky Way as discussed in this contribution.
Additional Information
© 2010 Elsevier B.V. Available online 18 July 2010. The W.M. Keck Observatory is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W.M. Keck Foundation. The authors wish to recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence that the summit of Mauna Kea has always had within the indigenous Hawaiian community. We are most fortunate to have the opportunity to conduct observations from this mountain. The Keck Interferometer is funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The ASTRA upgrade is funded by the Major Research Instrumentation Program of the National Science Foundation.Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 21005
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20101123-150441099
- W. M. Keck Foundation
- NASA
- NSF
- Created
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2010-11-23Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-09Created from EPrint's last_modified field
- Caltech groups
- Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC)