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 uas. 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.

22 pages, 10 figures (low resolution), contribution to the summerschool "Astrometry and Imaging with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer", 2 - 13 June, 2008, Keszthely, Hungary, corrected authorlist

References in corpus (3)

• Monitoring stellar orbits around the Massive Black Hole in the Galactic Center
• Measuring Distance and Properties of the Milky Way's Central Supermassive Black Hole with Stellar Orbits
• Dynamical Masses for Pre-Main Sequence Stars: A Preliminary Physical Orbit for V773 Tau A

Cited by in corpus (10)

• The Galactic Center Massive Black Hole and Nuclear Star Cluster
• Slowly-Rotating Black Holes in Einstein-Dilaton-Gauss-Bonnet Gravity: Quadratic Order in Spin Solutions
• The missing cavities in the SEEDS polarized scattered light images of transitional protoplanetary disks: a generic disk model
• Resolving the gap and AU-scale asymmetries in the pre-transitional disk of V1247 Orionis
• Observing gravitational lensing effects by Sgr A* with GRAVITY
• Circumstellar disks and planets. Science cases for next-generation optical/infrared long-baseline interferometers
• Astrophysical Signatures of Black holes in Generalized Proca Theories
• Probing local density inhomogeneities in the circumstellar disk of a Be star using the new spectro-astrometry mode at the Keck interferometer
• Astrometric Interferometry
• Alternative approach to precision narrow-angle astrometry for Antarctic long baseline interferometry