Why Build Stellar Interferometers?

Harold A. McAlister (Georgia State University)

Abstract:

Optical interferometry presents high levels of technical challenge and scientific payoff. The challenge lies in the very strict performance requirements that must propagate through a number of complex subsystems and the continuing development of beam combination schemes that will yield images of relatively complex objects. The payoff, of course, is in the science. There will be a tremendous return in fundamental astrophysical data in impressive degrees of quantity and quality. Optical images with milliarcsecond resolution of stars in formation or in interaction whet everyone's scientific appetite. The future of the field of ground-based O/IR interferometry will be determined to a large extent over the next decade by the success (or dare one say failure) of the current generation of instruments. If the return meets our expectations, one can envision a future array capable of sub-milliarcsecond imaging of cosmological objects.

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