Fakultät für Physik und Astronomie
STEPHEN PHILLIPS hostreviews.co.uk / UNSPLASH

A new era of Interferometry with GRAVITY(+)

Dr. Frank Eisenhauer , MPI fuer Extraterrestrische Physik

https://zoom.us/j/97377192005?pwd=OUZPR1Z3ZGc5WDZPYW1SakEzV1pvQT09 The GRAVITY instrument has enabled major steps forward in infrared interferometry, by phase-referenced imaging at milli-arcsecond resolution, with a sensitivity increase by factor thousands, 30-100 micro-arcsecond astrometry, and few micro-arcsecond differential spectro-astrometry. We give an overview of the technology behind GRAVITY and highlight the game-changing results from the first three years of operation. Our presentation takes us from nearby exoplanets all the way to distant quasars, with special focus on the Galactic Center, the first precision tests of Einstein?s theory of General Relativity around massive black holes, and tests of the massive black hole paradigm on scales of 3-6 Schwarzschild radii. The GRAVITY+ project will soon boost optical interferometry to the next level, opening up the extragalactic sky for milli-arcsecond resolution interferometric imaging, and providing ever higher contrast for the observation of exoplanets. This will be made possible with wide-field fringe-tracking, new state-of-the-art adaptive optics, laser guide stars, and performance improvements of GRAVITY and the VLT(I) infrastructure. We discuss some of the discovery space opening up with GRAVITY+, for example the detailed view on AGN at cosmic dawn, the detection and characterization of exoplanets and their atmospheres, the spin of the Galactic Center black hole, and microlenses tracing the Milky Ways dark components. Dr. Eisenhauer is hosted by Dr. Diederik Kruijssen (kruijssen@uni-heidelberg.de)

Heidelberg Joint Astronomical Colloquium
22 Jun 2021, 16:00
Location not specified.

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