Commissioning MATISSE: first results
MATISSE is the 2<SUP>nd</SUP> generation mid-infrared instrument designed to combine four VLTI telescopes in the L, M and N spectral bands. It’s commissioning in Paranal is in progress since March 2018 and should continue until the middle of 2019. Here we report, in June 2018, the commissioning plan, tools and the preliminary results of the […]
MATISSE: performance in laboratory, results of AIV in Paranal, and first results on sky
MATISSE (Multi AperTure mid-Infrared SpectroScopic Experiment) is the spectro-interferometer for the VLTI of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), operating in the L-, M- and N- spectral bands, and combining up to four beams from the unit or the auxiliary telescopes (UTs or ATs). MATISSE will offer new breakthroughs in the study of circumstellar environments by […]
The installation and ongoing commissioning of the MATISSE mid-infrared interferometer at the ESO Very Large Telescope Observatory
MATISSE is the second-generation mid-infrared spectrograph and imager for the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) at Paranal. This new interferometric instrument will allow significant advances in various fundamental research fields: studying the planet-forming region of disks around young stellar objects, understanding the surface structures and mass loss phenomena affecting evolved stars, and probing the environments […]
An overview of the mid-infrared spectro-interferometer MATISSE: science, concept, and current status
MATISSE is the second-generation mid-infrared spectrograph and imager for the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) at Paranal. This new interferometric instrument will allow significant advances by opening new avenues in various fundamental research fields: studying the planet-forming region of disks around young stellar objects, understanding the surface structures and mass loss phenomena affecting evolved stars, […]
MATISSE: alignment, integration, and test phase first results
MATISSE (Multi AperTure mid-Infrared SpectroScopic Experiment) is the spectro-interferometer for the VLTI of the European Southern Observatory, operating in near and mid-infrared, and combining up to four beams from the unit or the auxiliary telescopes. MATISSE will offer new breakthroughs in the study of circumstellar environments by allowing the multispectral mapping of the material distribution, […]
Long baseline interferometry in the visible: first results of the FRIEND project
In the coming year, the CHARA 1-meter telescopes will be equipped with Adaptive Optics (AO) systems. This improvement opens the possibility to apply, in the visible domain, the principle of spatial filtering with single mode fibers well demonstrated in the near-infrared. It will clearly open new astrophysical fields by taking benefit of an improved sensitivity […]
Data reduction for the MATISSE instrument
We present in this paper the general formalism and data processing steps used in the MATISSE data reduction software, as it has been developed by the MATISSE consortium. The MATISSE instrument is the mid-infrared new generation interferometric instrument of the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). It is a 2-in-1 instrument with 2 cryostats and 2 […]
Grown-up stars physics with MATISSE
MATISSE represents a great opportunity to image the environment around massive and evolved stars. This will allow one to put constraints on the circumstellar structure, on the mass ejection of dust and its reorganization, and on the dust-nature and formation processes. MATISSE measurements will often be pivotal for the understanding of large multiwavelength datasets on […]
Science with MATISSE
We present an overview of the scientific potential of MATISSE, the Multi Aperture mid-Infrared SpectroScopic Experiment for the Very Large Telescope Interferometer. For this purpose we outline selected case studies from various areas, such as star and planet formation, active galactic nuclei, evolved stars, extrasolar planets, and solar system minor bodies and discuss strategies for […]
MATISSE status report and science forecast
MATISSE is the mid-infrared spectrograph and imager for the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) at Paranal. This second generation interferometry instrument will open new avenues in the exploration of our Universe. Mid-infrared interferometry with MATISSE will allow significant advances in various fundamental research fields: studies of disks around young stellar objects where planets form and […]