Over the last decade, stellar interferometry has developed from a specialist tool to a mainstream observing technique, attracting scientists whose research benefits from milliarcsecond angular resolution. Stellar interferometry has become part of the astronomer’s toolbox, complementing single-telescope observations by providing unique capabilities that will advance astronomical research.
This carefully written book is intended to provide a solid understanding of the principles of stellar interferometry to students starting an astronomical research project in this field or to develop instruments and to astronomers using interferometry but who are not interferometrists per se.
The book closes with examples of contemporary stellar interferometers and useful appendices on the Fourier transform and atmospheric transmission bands.
ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS LIBRARY Series Editors:
G. B¨orner, Garching, Germany A. Burkert, M¨unchen, Germany W. B. Burton, Charlottesville, VA, USA and Leiden, The Netherlands A. Coustenis, Meudon, France M. A. Dopita, Canberra, Australia E. K. Grebel, Heidelberg, Germany B. Leibundgut, Garching, Germany A. Maeder, Sauverny, Switzerland P. Schneider, Bonn, Germany V. Trimble, College Park, MD, and Irvine, CA, USA
For further volumes: http://www.springer.com/series/848
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Andreas Glindemann
Principles of Stellar Interferometry
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Andreas Glindemann European Southern Observatory (ESO) Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 2 85748 Garching Germany
[email protected]
ISSN 0941-7834 ISBN 978-3-642-15027-2 e-ISBN 978-3-642-15028-9 DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-15028-9 Springer Heidelberg Dordrecht London New York
c Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Violations are liable to prosecution under the German Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Cover design: eStudio Calamar S.L. Cover photo: Platform of ESO’s VLT Observatory on Cerro Paranal, Chile, at Sunset. Credit: ESO/H.H. Heyer Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
To my father
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Preface
Over the last decade, st