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====== Decadal White Paper Draft 1 ====== | ====== Decadal White Paper Draft 1 ====== | ||
- | **NOTE: This text is in draft form only and does not represent our final report or approach to the Decadal Review.\\ \\ Introduction**\\ \\ Optical and IR interferometry has, in the last few years, truly come of age as an important tool for stellar astrophysics. The science results of the current generation of arrays, based on very limited imaging capability, are substantial, | + | **NOTE: This text is in draft form only and does not represent our final report or approach to the Decadal Review.\\ |
+ | \\ | ||
+ | Introduction**\\ | ||
+ | \\ | ||
+ | Optical and IR interferometry has, in the last few years, truly come of age as an important tool for stellar astrophysics. The science results of the current generation of arrays, based on very limited imaging capability, are substantial, | ||
+ | \\ | ||
+ | **Background**\\ | ||
+ | \\ | ||
+ | This effort to raise the profile of optical/IR interferometry is being lead by the United States Interferometry Consortium ([[usic:home|USIC]]). USIC consists of representatives from many of the ground based interferometry groups in the US, including [[http:// | ||
+ | \\ | ||
+ | **Science**\\ | ||
+ | \\ | ||
+ | With the existing facilities now producing real images of stellar surfaces (see for example the images of [[http:// | ||
+ | \\ | ||
+ | (NOTE: We will live and die by the scientific case. Obviously we need much more here including a good coverage of what has been done to date, what is being worked on now and what other areas of astronomy to which we would hope to contribute in the next decade)\\ | ||
+ | \\ | ||
+ | Future discoveries enabled by optical interferometry cannot be predicted easily, but one can identify certain areas in which discoveries are more likely than in others. No other existing or proposed facilities (JWST, ALMA, or single dish telescope like GMT, ELT, Gemini etc.) have diameters in excess of 100 meters and operate in the optical to mid-infrared. Interferometry with baselines up to 400 meter will always outperform any existing or planned facility for many decades to come from the point of view of spatial resolution. Furthermore, | ||
+ | \\ | ||
+ | **Recommendations**\\ | ||
+ | \\ | ||
+ | //Support of facilities// | ||
+ | \\ | ||
+ | During the next decade, funding should be made available for significant upgrades in capabilities as well as observing efficiency and tools for the current generation of US based optical interferometers. This should include funding to provide more open access for the community to the existing instruments as well as training of students and post-doctoral research associates in the use of these facilities. Upgrades to the current facilities could include the addition of more apertures, upgrades to beam combiner technologies, | ||
+ | \\ | ||
+ | // | ||
+ | \\ | ||
+ | Significant coordinated efforts should be made to train astronomers in using optical interferometers, | ||
+ | \\ | ||
+ | // | ||
+ | \\ | ||
+ | There are 6 optical interferometers based in the US. For US based optical interferometry to mature and continue to be a global player, activities at these 6 sites have to be coordinated and work towards optimizing individual capabilities (imaging, astrometry, spectroscopy etc.) with a vision that one day they will all be phased out, and a single km-based optical interferometer will be build by a US consortium. Between now (2007) and the operations of a km-based optical infrared interferometry (2020 to 2030 time frame), current generation optical interferometries provide the environment for technology development and maturing of the astronomer base. |