The Very Large Telescope Interferometer. Challenges for the Future.

. Ed(s): Garcia, Paulo J. V.; Glindemann, Andreas (European Southern Observator y, Garching, Germany); Henning, Thomas K.; Malbet, Fabien (Laboratoir

ISBN 10: 1402015186 / ISBN 13: 9781402015182

Published by Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003

About this Item

A JENAM 2002 Workshop, Porto, Portugal, 3-5 September 2002 Editor(s): Garcia, Paulo J. V.; Glindemann, Andreas (European Southern Observator y, Garching, Germany); Henning, Thomas K.; Malbet, Fabien (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble, France). Num Pages: 312 pages, biography. BIC Classification: PGC; PGG. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational; (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly. Dimension: 235 x 155 x 19. Weight in Grams: 642. . 2003. Hardback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9781402015182

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Very Large Telescope Interferometer. Challenges for the Future.
• Publisher: Kluwer Academic Publishers
• Publication Date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1402015186
• ISBN 13: 9781402015182
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

The workshop on The Very Large Telescope Interferometer: Challenges for the Future, which was part of JENAM 2002 organised by Sociedade Portuguesa de Astronomia, took place at the Departamentos de Matematica Aplicada e Matemclt- ica Pura da Universidade do Porto (FCUP) from the 5th to the 7th of September 2002. The Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) is the major interferometric facility in the world, operated by the European Southern Observatory. It is a unique facility as it is available to the community and has a sensitivity that will bring into reach vast classes of objects in the fields of planet searches, star formation and evolution and extragalatic astrophysics. The VLTI was open to the community on a shared risk basis in March 2002. This workshop was therefore an ideal place to obtain a broad view of optical interferometry and its scientific prospects. The workshop started with a presentation of the basics of interferometry the- ory/practice, then of the VLT, Keck and LBT interferometers. The VLTI instru- ments MIDI and AMBER were introduced to its users as well as specific cal- ibration and modelling tools. The bulk of the workshop addressed astrophysics being currently done with interferometers with very high quality reviews in the fields star formation, imaging, pulsating stars, Mira stars, active stellar shells and extragalactic astronomy. The workshop featured some talks presenting fresh VLTI data using the VINCI commissioning instrument.

Synopsis

The last quarter of the 20th century witnessed the rebirth and maturing of optical interferometry and associated technologies. Major successes spanning from direct detection of stellar pulsations to imaging in the optical were achieved with test-bed systems, some of which have now evolved to facilities open to the astronomical community. The intense activity and rapid growth of this field are a clear sign that interferometry will be a major observational tool in this century both from ground and space. The VLTI is the largest ground-based interferometric facility combining four 8.2-m telescopes with up to eight 1.8-m telescopes. This facility is the first opened on a shared risk basis in 2002, a milestone for the astronomical community. The combination of enhanced sensitivity and common user support bring into grasp a vastly unexplored astrophysical territory. This book presents state of the art optical interferometry in astrophysics. We emphasise new VLTI users by including tutorials in optical interferometry theory and practice, and related instrumentation, as well as reviews in stellar formation and evolution, and extragalactic science.