arXiv subjects

A. Richichi

Publications and source records attributed to A. Richichi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

GRAVITY: getting to the event horizon of Sgr A*

We present the second-generation VLTI instrument GRAVITY, which currently is in the preliminary design phase. GRAVITY is specifically designed to observe highly relativistic motions of matter close to the event horizon of Sgr A*, the massive black hole at center of the Milky Way. We have identified the key design features needed to achieve this goal and present the resulting instrument concept. It includes an integrated optics, 4-telescope, dual feed beam combiner operated in a cryogenic vessel; near infrared wavefront sensing adaptive optics; fringe tracking on secondary sources within the field of view of the VLTI and a novel metrology concept. Simulations show that the planned design matches the scientific needs; in particular that 10 microarcsecond astrometry is feasible for a source with a magnitude of K=15 like Sgr A*, given the availability of suitable phase reference sources.

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arXiv2008

Milliarcsecond angular resolution of reddened stellar sources in the vicinity of the Galactic Center

For the first time, the lunar occultation technique has been employed on a very large telescope in the near-IR with the aim of achieving systematically milliarcsecond resolution on stellar sources. We have demonstrated the burst mode of the ISAAC instrument, using a fast read-out on a small area of the detector to record many tens of seconds of data at a time on fields of few squared arcsec. We have used the opportunity to record a large number of LO events during a passage of the Moon close to the Galactic Center in March 2006. We have developed a data pipeline for the treatment of LO data, including the automated estimation of the main data analysis parameters using a wavelet-based method, and the preliminary fitting and plotting of all light curves. We recorded 51 LO events over about four hours. Of these, 30 resulted of sufficient quality to enable a detailed fitting. We detected two binaries with subarcsec projected separation and three stars with a marginally resolved angular diameter of about 2 mas. Two more SiO masers, were found to be resolved and in one case we could recover the brightness profile of the extended emission, which is well consistent with an optically thin shell. The remaining unresolved stars were used to characterize the performance of the method. The LO technique at a very large telescope is a powerful and efficient method to achieve angular resolution, sensitivity, and dynamic range that are among the best possible today with any technique. The selection of targets is naturally limited and LOs are fixed-time events, however each observation requires only a few minutes including overheads. As such, LOs are ideally suited to fill small gaps of idle time between standard observations.

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arXiv2008

Milliarcsecond angular resolution of reddened stellar sources in the vicinity of the Galactic Center. II. Additional observations

We present lunar occultation observations obtained in August 2006 with the recently demonstrated burst mode of the ISAAC instrument at the ESO VLT. The results presented here follow the previously reported observations carried out in March 2006 on a similar but unrelated set of sources. Interstellar extinction in the inner regions of the galactic bulge amounts to tens of magnitudes at visual wavelengths. As a consequence, the majority of sources in that area are poorly studied and large numbers of potentially interesting sources such as late-type giants with circumstellar shells, stellar masers, infrared stars, remain excluded from the typical investigations which are carried out in less problematic regions. Also undetected are a large numbers of binaries. By observing LO events in this region, we gain the means to investigate at least a selected number of sources with an unprecedented combination of sensitivity and angular resolution. The LO technique permits to achieve mas resolution with a sensitivity of K~12mag at a very large telescope. We have used the opportunity of a favorable passage of the Moon over a crowded region in the general direction of the Galactic Center to observe 78 LO events of heavily reddened stellar sources. We have detected six new binary and one triple star, with typical projected separation of ~0.01". We have also detected the compact circumstellar emission around one maser and one central star of a planetary nebula. Additionally we have measured the diameter and/or circumstellar shell of two carbon stars and other IR sources. In agreement with our previous result, we conclude that lunar occultations in fast read-out mode on a detector subwindow at an 8m-class telescope can achieve an angular resolution close to 0.001" with a sensitivity K~12mag.

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arXiv2008

A new wavelet-based approach for the automated treatment of large sets of lunar occultation data

The introduction of infrared arrays for lunar occultations (LO) work and the improvement of predictions based on new deep IR catalogues have resulted in a large increase in the number of observable occultations. We provide the means for an automated reduction of large sets of LO data. This frees the user from the tedious task of estimating first-guess parameters for the fit of each LO lightcurve. At the end of the process, ready-made plots and statistics enable the user to identify sources which appear to be resolved or binary and to initiate their detailed interactive analysis. The pipeline is tailored to array data, including the extraction of the lightcurves from FITS cubes. Because of its robustness and efficiency, the wavelet transform has been chosen to compute the initial guess of the parameters of the lightcurve fit. We illustrate and discuss our automatic reduction pipeline by analyzing a large volume of novel occultation data recorded at Calar Alto Observatory. The automated pipeline package is available from the authors.

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arXiv2007

Life on the fast lane: the burst mode at the VLT at present and in the future

The recent implementation of the high-speed burst mode at the ISAAC instrument on UT1, and its propagation to other ESO instruments, has opened the door to observational capabilities which hold the potential for a wealth of novel results. In the ELT era, when the accent will likely be on lengthy programs aimed at the best sensitivity and angular resolution, the VLT telescopes could continue to play a significant and largely unique role by performing routinely observations of transient events at high temporal resolution. In our contribution, we provide details on two such kinds of observations, namely lunar occultations of stars and of asteroids. For the first ones, we report on two passages of the Moon in regions with high stellar density as the Galactic Center. The VLT-UT1 telescope was used for the first time to record successfully 53 and 71 occultations on March 22 and August 6, 2006, with an angular resolution of 0.5-1 milliarcsecond and $K\sim12.5$ limiting magnitude. We note that the angular resolution is superior to that achieved at present by Adaptive Optics on any telescope, and also superior to that foreseen for the ELT at the same wavelength. LO are also very efficient in terms of telescope time. We present some of the results, including the discovery of close binaries, and the detection and study of compact circumstellar components of cool giants, AGB stars and embedded IR sources. Rest of the abstract follows at the paper

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arXiv2006

Direct constraint on the distance of y2 Velorum from AMBER/VLTI observations

In this work, we present the first AMBER observations, of the Wolf-Rayet and O (WR+O) star binary system y2 Velorum. The AMBER instrument was used with the telescopes UT2, UT3, and UT4 on baselines ranging from 46m to 85m. It delivered spectrally dispersed visibilities, as well as differential and closure phases, with a resolution R = 1500 in the spectral band 1.95-2.17 micron. We interpret these data in the context of a binary system with unresolved components, neglecting in a first approximation the wind-wind collision zone flux contribution. We show that the AMBER observables result primarily from the contribution of the individual components of the WR+O binary system. We discuss several interpretations of the residuals, and speculate on the detection of an additional continuum component, originating from the free-free emission associated with the wind-wind collision zone (WWCZ), and contributing at most to the observed K-band flux at the 5% level. The expected absolute separation and position angle at the time of observations were 5.1±0.9mas and 66±15° respectively. However, we infer a separation of 3.62+0.11-0.30 mas and a position angle of 73+9-11°. Our analysis thus implies that the binary system lies at a distance of 368+38-13 pc, in agreement with recent spectrophotometric estimates, but significantly larger than the Hipparcos value of 258+41-31 pc.

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arXiv2006

Resolving the compact dusty discs around binary post-AGB stars using N-band interferometry

We present the first mid-IR long baseline interferometric observations of the circumstellar matter around binary post-AGB stars. Two objects, SX Cen and HD 52961, were observed using the VLTI/MIDI instrument during Science Demonstration Time. Both objects are known binaries for which a stable circumbinary disc is proposed to explain the SED characteristics. This is corroborated by our N-band spectrum showing a crystallinity fraction of more than 50 % for both objects, pointing to a stable environment where dust processing can occur. Surprisingly, the dust surrounding SX Cen is not resolved in the interferometric observations providing an upper limit of 11 mas (or 18 AU at the distance of this object) on the diameter of the dust emission. This confirms the very compact nature of its circumstellar environment. The dust emission around HD 52961 originates from a very small but resolved region, estimated to be ~ 35 mas at 8 micron and ~ 55 mas at 13 micron. These results confirm the disc interpretation of the SED of both stars. In HD 52961, the dust is not homogeneous in its chemical composition: the crystallinity is clearly concentrated in the hotter inner region. Whether this is a result of the formation process of the disc, or due to annealing during the long storage time in the disc is not clear.

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arXiv2005

VLTI/AMBER and VLTI/MIDI spectro-interferometric observations of the B[e] supergiant CPD-57 2874

We present the first high spatial and spectral observations of the circumstellar envelope (CSE) of a B[e] supergiant (CPD$-57 2874$), performed with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Spectra, visibilities, and closure phase, were obtained using the beam-combiner instruments AMBER (near-IR interferometry with three 8.3 m Unit Telescopes or UTs) and MIDI (mid-IR interferometry with two UTs). The interferometric observations of the CSE are well fitted by an elliptical Gaussian model with FWHM diameters varying linearly with wavelength. Typical diameters measured are $\simeq1.8\times3.4$ mas or $\simeq4.5\times8.5$ AU (adopting a distance of 2.5 kpc) at $2.2\micron$, and $\simeq12\times15$ mas or $\simeq30\times38$ AU at $12\micron$. The size of the region emitting the Br$γ$ flux is $\simeq2.8\times5.2$ mas or $\simeq7.0\times13.0$ AU. The major-axis position angle of the elongated CSE in the mid-IR ($\simeq144\degr$) agrees well with previous polarimetric data, hinting that the hot-dust emission originates in a disk-like structure. In addition to the interferometric observations we also present new optical ($UBVR_{c}I_{c}$) and near-IR ($JHKL$) broadband photometric observations of CPD$-57 2874$. Our spectro-interferometric VLTI observations and data analysis support the non-spherical CSE paradigm for B[e] supergiants.

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arXiv2005

The Calar Alto lunar occultation program: update and new results

We present an update of the lunar occultation program which is routinely carried out in the near-IR at the Calar Alto Observatory. A total of 350 events were recorded since our last report (Fors et al. 2004). In the course of eight runs we have observed, among others, late-type giants, T-Tauri stars, and infrared sources. Noteworthy was a passage of the Moon close to the galactic center, which produced a large number of events during just a few hours in July 2004. Results include the determinations of the angular diameter of RZ Ari, and the projected separations and brightness ratios for one triple and 13 binary stars, almost all of which representing first time detections. Projected separations range from 0.09arcsec to 0.007arcsec. We provide a quantitative analysis of the performance achieved in our observations in terms of angular resolution and sensitivity, which reach about 0.003arcsec and K~8.5mag, respectively. We also present a statistical discussion of our sample, and in particular of the frequency of detection of binaries among field stars.

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arXiv2005

High angular resolution N-band observation of the silicate carbon star IRAS08002-3803 with the VLTI/MIDI instrument

We present the results of N-band spectro-interferometric observations of the silicate carbon star IRAS08002-3803 with the MID-infrared Interferometric instrument (MIDI) at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) of the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The observations were carried out using two unit telescopes (UT2 and UT3) with projected baseline lengths ranging from 39 to 47 m. Our observations of IRAS08002-3803 have spatially resolved the dusty environment of a silicate carbon star for the first time and revealed an unexpected wavelength dependence of the angular size in the N band: the uniform-disk diameter is found to be constant and ~36 mas (72 Rstar) between 8 and 10 micron, while it steeply increases longward of 10 micron to reach ~53 mas (106 Rstar) at 13 micron. Model calculations with our Monte Carlo radiative transfer code show that neither spherical shell models nor axisymmetric disk models consisting of silicate grains alone can simultaneously explain the observed wavelength dependence of the visibility and the spectral energy distribution (SED). We propose that the circumstellar environment of IRAS08002-3803 may consist of two grain species coexisting in the disk: silicate and a second grain species, for which we consider amorphous carbon, large silicate grains, and metallic iron grains. Comparison of the observed visibilities and SED with our models shows that such disk models can fairly -- though not entirely satisfactorily -- reproduce the observed SED and N-band visibilities. Our MIDI observations and the radiative transfer calculations lend support to the picture where oxygen-rich material around IRAS08002-3803 is stored in a circumbinary disk surrounding the carbon-rich primary star and its putative low-luminosity companion.

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arXiv2005

Aldebaran's angular diameter: how well do we know it?

The bright, well-known K5 giant Aldebaran, alpha Tau, is probably the star with the largest number of direct angular diameter determinations, achieved over a long time by several authors using various techniques. In spite of this wealth of data, or perhaps as a direct result of it, there is not a very good agreement on a single angular diameter value. This is particularly unsettling if one considers that Aldebaran is also used as a primary calibrator for some angular resolution methods, notably for optical and infrared long baseline interferometry. Directly connected to Aldebaran's angular diameter and its uncertainties is its effective temperature, which also has been used for several empirical calibrations. Among the proposed explanations for the elusiveness of an accurate determination of the angular diameter of Aldebaran are the possibility of temporal variations as well as a possible dependence of the angular diameter on the wavelength. We present here a few, very accurate new determinations obtained by means of lunar occultations and long baseline interferometry. We derive an average value of 19.96+-0.03 milliarcseconds for the uniform disk diameter. The corresponding limb-darkened value is 20.58+-0.03 milliarcseconds, or 44.2+-0.9 R(sun). We discuss this result, in connection with previous determinations and with possible problems that may affect such measurements.

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arXiv2005

First results from the ESO VLTI Calibrators Program

The ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) is one of the leading interferometric facilities. It is equipped with several 8.2 and 1.8m telescopes, a large number of baselines up to 200m, and with several subsystems designed to enable high quality measurements and to improve significantly the limits of sensitivities currently available to long-baseline interferometry. The full scientific potential of the VLTI can be exploited only if a consistent set of good quality calibrators is available. For this, a large number of observations of potential calibrators have been obtained during the commissioning phase of the VLTI. These data are publicly available. We briefly describe the interferometer, the VINCI instrument used for the observations, the data flow from acquisition to processed results, and we present and comment on the volume of observations gathered and scrutinized. The result is a list of 191 calibrator candidates, for which a total of 12066 observations can be deemed of satisfactory quality. We present a general statistical analysis of this sample, using as a starting point the angular diameters previously available in the literature.We derive the general characteristics of the VLTI transfer function, and its trend with time in the period 2001 through mid-2004. A second paper will be devoted to a detailed investigation of a selected sample, aimed at establishing a VLTI-based homogeneous system of calibrators.

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arXiv2005

First VLTI/MIDI observations of a Be star: Alpha Ara

We present the first VLTI/MIDI observations of the Be star Alpha Ara, showing a nearly unresolved circumstellar disk in the N band. The interferometric measurements made use of the UT1 and UT3 telescopes. The projected baselines were 102 and 74 meters with position angles of 7 degres and 55 degres, respectively. These measurements put an upper limit to the envelope size in the N band under the Uniform disk approximation of $ϕ_{\rm max}= 4\pm1.5$ mas, corresponding to 14 $R_{\star}$, assuming $R_{\star}$=4.8${\rm R}_\odot$ and the Hipparcos distance of 74pc. On the other hand the disk density must be large enough to produce the observed strong Balmer line emission. In order to estimate the possible circumstellar and stellar parameters we have used the SIMECA code developed by Stee (1995) and Stee & Bittar (2001). Optical spectra taken with the echelle instrument Heros and the ESO-50cm telescope, as well as infrared ones from the 1.6m Brazilian telescope have been used together with the MIDI spectra and visibilities. These observations put complementary constraints on the density and geometry of Alpha Ara circumstellar disk. We discuss on the potential truncation of the disk by a companion and we present spectroscopic indications of a periodic perturbation of some Balmer lines.

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arXiv2004

Calibration Observations of Fomalhaut with the VLTI

An investigation of the stability of the transfer function of the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope Interferometer has been carried out through observations of Fomalhaut over a wide range in hour angle. No significant variation in the transfer function was found for the zenith angle range 5-70 degrees. The projected baseline varied between 139.7 m and 49.8 m during the observations and, as an integral part of the determination of the transfer function, a new accurate limb-darkened angular diameter for Fomalhaut has been established. This has led to improved values for the emergent flux, effective temperature, radius and luminosity.

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arXiv2004

Near-IR speckle imaging of massive young stellar objects

We present near-IR speckle images of 21 massive Young Stellar Objects (YSOs) associated with outflows. The aim of this study is to search for sub-arcsecond reflection nebulae associated with the outflow cavity. We find that 6 of the massive YSOs show a conical nebula which can be interpreted in terms of reflected light from the dusty walls of the outflow cavity. In all cases, the small scale structures seen in our images are compared with outflow indicators found in the literature. No clear correlation is found between the presence of the reflection nebulosity and any property such as degree of embeddedness. We also note that 3 of the sources show close companions, one of them belonging also to the sample with conical nebula.

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arXiv2004

Interferometric observations of the Mira star o Ceti with the VLTI/VINCI instrument in the near-infrared

We present K-band commissioning observations of the Mira star prototype o Cet obtained at the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) with the VINCI instrument and two siderostats. The observations were carried out between 2001 October and December, in 2002 January and December, and in 2003 January. Rosseland angular radii are derived from the measured visibilities by fitting theoretical visibility functions obtained from center-to-limb intensity variations (CLVs) of Mira star models (Bessel et al. 1996, Hofmann et al. 1998, Tej et al. 2003). Using the derived Rosseland angular radii and the SEDs reconstructed from available photometric and spectrophotometric data, we find effective temperatures ranging from T_eff=3192 +/- 200 K at phase phi=0.13 to 2918 +/- 183 K at phi=0.26. Comparison of these Rosseland radii, effective temperatures, and the shape of the observed visibility functions with model predictions suggests that o Cet is a fundamental mode pulsator. Furthermore, we investigated the variation of visibility function and diameter with phase. The Rosseland angular diameter of o Cet increased from 28.9 +/- 0.3 mas (corresponding to a Rosseland radius of 332 +/- 38 R_sun for a distance of D=107 +/- 12 pc) at phi=0.13 to 34.9 +/- 0.4 mas (402 +/- 46 R_sun) at phi=0.4. The error of the Rosseland linear radius almost entirely results from the error of the parallax, since the error of the angular diameter is only approximately 1 %.

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arXiv2004

Infrared and visual lunar occultations measurements of stellar diameters and new binary stars detections at the Calar Alto 1.5m telescope

We present a program of routine lunar occultations, at optical and near-IR wavelengths, recently started at the 1.5m Spanish telescope at the Calar Alto Observatory. Both a CCD and an infrared array detector are used. The program is aimed mainly at the detection and investigation of binary systems, although results in other areas of stellar research are also anticipated. Occultations are reported for a total of 40 stars. Among these, SAO 164567, SAO 78258 and AG+24 788 have been discovered to be binaries, with projected separations as small as 0.006". Furthermore, binarity is suspected in the case of SAO 78119 and SAO 79251. Additionally, the angular diameter of the late-type giant 30 Psc and of the infrared star V349 Gem have been accurately measured, this latter for the first time. We finally evaluate the instrumentation performance in terms of limiting magnitude and angular resolution, and discuss applications to larger telescopes.

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arXiv2001

CCD drift-scan imaging lunar occultations: a feasible approach for sub-meter class telescopes

A CCD drift-scanning technique for lunar occultation (LO) observations is presented. While this approach has been addressed before by Sturmann (1994) for the case of large telescopes, the technical validity has never been discussed for sub-meter class telescopes. In contrast to Sturmann's scheme, the proposed technique places the CCD in the image plane of the telescope. This does not represent a problem in the case of small telescopes, where the practical angular resolution attainable by LO is not limited by aperture smoothing. Photon-generated charge is read out at millisecond rate on a column-per-column basis, as the diffraction pattern of the occulted star is being tracked. Two LO events (SAO 79031 and SAO 77911) were observed to demonstrate the feasibility of the method. Data analysis was carried out and no angular diameter the observed stars were resolved. We show, however, that the technique could be useful for close binary detections with small telescopes. A discussion of the limiting resolution and magnitude imposed by our instrumentation is carried out, showing that drift-scanning technique could be extended to 1-2m telescopes for stellar diameter determination purposes. Finally, we point out that the technical demands required by this technique can be easily met by most small professional observatories and advanced amateurs.

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