Perraut, K.[Lab. d'Astrophysique de l'Observatoire de Grenoble, Univ. J. Fourier, CNRS (France)]
Tatulli, E.[Lab. d'Astrophysique de l'Observatoire de Grenoble, Univ. J. Fourier, CNRS (France) and INAF/Osservatorio di Astrofisico di Arcetri (Italy) and Jean-Marie Mariotti Ctr., CNRS (France)]
Thiébaut, E.[Ctr. de Recherche Astrophysique de Lyon (France)]
Young, J.[Cavendish Lab., Univ. of Cambridge (United Kingdom)]
Zins, G.[Lab. d'Astrophysique de l'Observatoire de Grenoble, Univ. J. Fourier, CNRS (France)]
Nisini, B.[Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma (Italy)]
Petrucci, P.-O.[Lab. d'Astrophysique de l'Observatoire de Grenoble, Univ. J. Fourier, CNRS (France)]
Rebordao, J.[Instituto Nacional de Engenharia, Tecnologia e Inovacco (Portugal)]
Speziali, R.[INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma (Italy)]
Testi, L.[INAF/Osservatorio di Astrofisica di Arcetri (Italy) and European Southern Observatory Headquarters (Germany)]
Vitali, F.[INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma (Italy)]
1-Jul-2008
Optical and Infrared Interferometry
Schöller, Markus
Danchi, William
Delplancke, Françoise
SPIE
Proceedings of the SPIE, volume 7013
7013
29.1-29.12
No
International
Bellingham
WA, USA
Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2008: Optical and Infrared Interferometry
23/06/2008 - 28/06/2008
SPIE
Marseille
France
[en] Interferometry
[en] The VLTI Spectro Imager (VSI) was proposed as a second-generation instrument of the Very Large Telescope Interferometer providing the ESO community with spectrally-resolved, near-infrared images at angular resolutions down to 1.1 milliarcsecond and spectral resolutions up to R = 12000. Targets as faint as K = 13 will be imaged without requiring a brighter nearby reference object; fainter targets can be accessed if a suitable reference is available. The unique combination of high-dynamic-range imaging at high angular resolution and high spectral resolution enables a scientific program which serves a broad user community and at the same time provides the opportunity for breakthroughs in many areas of astrophysics. The high level specifications of the instrument are derived from a detailed science case based on the capability to obtain, for the first time, milliarcsecond-resolution images of a wide range of targets including: probing the initial conditions for planet formation in the AU-scale environments of young stars; imaging convective cells and other phenomena on the surfaces of stars; mapping the chemical and physical environments of evolved stars, stellar remnants, and stellar winds; and disentangling the central regions of active galactic nuclei and supermassive black holes. VSI will provide these new capabilities using technologies which have been extensively tested in the past and VSI requires little in terms of new infrastructure on the VLTI. At the same time, VSI will be able to make maximum use of new infrastructure as it becomes available; for example, by combining 4, 6 and eventually 8 telescopes, enabling rapid imaging through the measurement of up to 28 visibilities in every wavelength channel within a few minutes. The current studies are focused on a 4-telescope version with an upgrade to a 6-telescope one. The instrument contains its own fringe tracker and tip-tilt control in order to reduce the constraints on the VLTI infrastructure and maximize the scientific return.
Copyright 2008 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic reproduction and distribution, duplication of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of the paper are prohibited.
[Université de Liège - ULg > Département d'astrophys., géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Astroph. extragalactique et observations spatiales (AEOS) >]
