Photon counting Intensity Interferometry with the ASTRI Mini-Array: Stellar astrophysics at unprecedented angular resolution

DATE: Monday, September 26, 11:30 a.m.

ORGANIZER: INAF OACT

LOCATION: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT) – Audience in-person max 20

Link for the remote audience:
https://meet.google.com/wvf-uwxo-oyj

SPEAKER: Prof. Luca Zampieri (INAF-OAPD)

ABSTRACT:
The ASTRI Mini-Array is an International collaboration, led by the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), that is constructing and operating an array of nine Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes to study gamma-ray sources at very high energy (TeV) and perform optical stellar intensity interferometry observations.

Angular resolutions below 100 microarcsec are achievable with stellar intensity interferometry (SII), using telescopes separated by hundreds to thousands of meters baselines. At this level of resolution it turns out to be possible to reveal details on the surface and of the environment surrounding bright stars on the sky. The ASTRI Mini-Array will provide a suitable infrastructure for performing these measurements thanks to the capabilities offered by its 9 telescopes, which provide 36 simultaneous baselines over distances between 100 m and 700 m.

After providing an overview of the scientific context and motivations for performing SII science with the ASTRI Mini-Array telescopes, we present the baseline design for the ASTRI Stellar Intensity Interferometry Instrument (SI3), a fast single photon counting instrument that will be mounted on the ASTRI telescopes and dedicated to performing SII observations of bright stars.

A few rules:
— access the virtual room with the microphone and camera switched off.
— for questions leave a message in the chat and the answers at the end of the webinar.