Bringing the New Adaptive Optics Module for Interferometry (NAOMI) into Operation
NAOMI was developed by a consortium composed of IPAG and ESO. Its Provisional Acceptance Chile review was held in April 2019. The NAOMI systems that have been installed on the Auxiliary Telescopes make the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) and its instruments much less dependent on the atmospheric and dome seeing conditions. NAOMI increases the […]
An Overview of the MATISSE Instrument — Science, Concept and Current Status
MATISSE, a second generation Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) instrument, is a combined imager and spectrograph for interferometry in the 3-5 μm region (L- and M-bands) and the 8-13 μm window (N-band). MATISSE builds on the experience gained with the VLTI’s first generation instruments. It employs multi-axial beam combination while also providing wavelength differential visibility […]
First AMBER/VLTI Science
Three years after the installation of AMBER, the first scientific observations have been carried out mostly during Science Demonstration Time and Guaranteed Time. The first science has mainly focused on the environment of various types of stars. Observations described are: the discs and wind in the young star MWC297; the rotating gas envelope around the […]
Recent Astrophysical Results from the VLTI
We present a review of recent astrophysical results based on data obtained with the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). The very first VLTI results have already been reviewed by Richichi & Paresce (2003). Remarkably, the first scientific results from the mid-infrared instrument MIDI, which emerge from science demonstration and guaranteed time observations, already cover […]