GRAVITY: Observing the Universe in Motion
- Author(s)
- F. Eisenhauer, G. Perrin, W. Brandner, C. Straubmeier, K. Perraut, A. Amorim, M. Schöller, S. Gillessen, P. Kervella, M. Benisty, C. Araujo-Hauck, L. Jocou, J. Lima, G. Jakob, M. Haug, Y. Clénet, T. Henning, A. Eckart, J.-P. Berger, P. Garcia, R. Abuter, S. Kellner, T. Paumard, S. Hippler, S. Fischer, T. Moulin, J. Villate, G. Avila, A. Gräter, S. Lacour, A. Huber, M. Wiest, A. Nolot, P. Carvas, Reinhold Dorn, O. Pfuhl, E. Gendron, S. Kendrew, S. Yazici, S. Anton, Yves Jung, Markus Thiel, É. Choquet, R. Klein, P. Teixeira, P. Gitton, D. Moch, F. Vincent, N. Kudryavtseva, S. Ströbele, S. Sturm, P. Fédou, R. Lenzen, P. Jolley, C. Kister, V. Lapeyrère, V. Naranjo, C. Lucuix, R. Hofmann, F. Chapron, Udo Neumann, L. Mehrgan, O. Hans, G. Rousset, Jose Ramos, Marcos Suarez, R. Lederer, J.-M. Reess, R.-R. Rohloff, P. Haguenauer, H. Bartko, A. Sevin, K. Wagner, J.-L. Lizon, S. Rabien, C. Collin, G. Finger, Richard Davies, D. Rouan, M. Wittkowski, K. Dodds-Eden, D. Ziegler, F. Cassaing, H. Bonnet, M. Casali, R. Genzel, P. Lena
- Abstract
GRAVITY is the second generation Very Large Telescope Interferometer instrument for precision narrow-angle astrometry and interferometric imaging. With its fibre-fed integrated optics, wavefront sensors, fringetracker, beam stabilisation and a novel metrology concept, GRAVITY will push the sensitivity and accuracy of astrometry and interferometric imaging far beyond what is offered today. Providing precision astrometry of order 10 microarcseconds, and imaging with 4-milliarcsecond resolution, GRAVITY will revolutionise dynamical measurements of celestial objects: it will probe physics close to the event horizon of the Galactic Centre black hole; unambiguously detect and measure the masses of black holes in massive star clusters throughout the Milky Way;uncover the details of mass accretion and jets in young stellar objectsand active galactic nuclei; and probe the motion of binary stars,exoplanets and young stellar discs. The instrument capabilities of GRAVITY are outlined and the science opportunities that will open up are summarised.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Astrophysics
- External organisation(s)
- Universidade do Porto, Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Universität zu Köln, Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Université Paris VII - Paris-Diderot, ONERA-The French Aerospac Lab., Joint ALMA Observatory, Université Joseph-Fourier (Grenoble-I), Université de recherche Paris Sciences et Lettres
- Journal
- The Messenger
- Volume
- 143
- Pages
- 16-24
- ISSN
- 0722-6691
- Publication date
- 03-2011
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 103004 Astrophysics
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/5360fe85-4448-4ebe-9c79-485840e5f1d8