Interferometric connection of large ground-based telescopes

¹ Observatoire de Paris, DESPA, F-92195 Meudon Principal, France
² Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany
³ Nanjing Astronomical Instruments Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210042, China
⁴ Université Paris 7 – Denis Diderot, Paris, France

Corresponding author: Send offprint request to: J.-M. Mariotti; mariotti@obspm.fr

Received: 11 April 1995
Accepted: 27 September 1995

Abstract

In this article, we argue that the recent advent of two technological breakthroughs in the field of Optics, namely the development of Adaptive Optics and of infrared single-mode fibers, is likely to modify our conception of astronomical interferometry at optical wavelengths. In particular, it should become possible to realize the coherent combination of the giant telescopes that tend to cluster at the best ground-based astronomical sites. Although more limited in their scope than the dedicated interferometric systems, these potential arrays could achieve impressive performances in terms of sensitivity and angular resolution. As an example, we discuss in more details the case of a Mauna Kea cluster of large telescopes.