5 Conclusion

We have presented a method for interferometric imaging with the Large Binocular Telescope. We have illustrated the capability of a Lucy-Richardson based deconvolution algorithm to reconstruct the object image from a set of LBT-like interferometric data. We outlined potential performances on simulated LBT data and robustness of the algorithm has been tested on real LBT-like data. It is of great importance, in order to achieve the reconstruction, to be able to obtain, from a reference star, a sufficiently good estimate of the PSF for each baseline position. The use of a Lucy-Richardson deconvolution algorithm is limited by the quality of the PSF calibration. The most favorable case would be to be able to record simultaneously object image and PSF. The LBT will provide a wide coherent field of view for interferometric imaging, thanks to innovative technological solutions (Salinari [1996]). Therefore simultaneous measurements of both target and a bright reference star will be possible and, from this point of view, the algorithm presented here is of particular interest. The quality of the PSF calibration will be then limited by the difference of wavefront compensation achieved for these two objects. The future implementation of a AO correction in the simulation code will allow us to quantify this limitation.

Acknowledgements

We are indebted to F. Lisi and G. Marcucci for their help with the experimental set-up. We thank the director of the TIRGO observatory, Prof. G. Tofani, for the allocation of observing time. We are grateful to M. Bertero and P. Boccacci (University of Genova) for providing the initial version of the reconstruction algorithm, developed under contract number 16/97 funded by the Italian Consorzio Nazionale per l'Astronomia e l'Astrofisica. We wish also to thank P. Salinari, M. Carbillet and J.C. Christou for useful discussions, and A. Marconi and G.P. Tozzi for assistance during the observations.