Author
Samuel Lévêque
Other affiliations: Max Planck Society
Bio: Samuel Lévêque is an academic researcher from European Southern Observatory. The author has contributed to research in topics: Very Large Telescope & Interferometry. The author has an hindex of 17, co-authored 72 publications receiving 1493 citations. Previous affiliations of Samuel Lévêque include Max Planck Society.
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
More filters
••
TL;DR: GRAVITY as mentioned in this paper is a new instrument to coherently combine the light of the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope Interferometer to form a telescope with an equivalent 130 m diameter angular resolution and a collecting area of 200 m$^2$.
Abstract: GRAVITY is a new instrument to coherently combine the light of the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope Interferometer to form a telescope with an equivalent 130 m diameter angular resolution and a collecting area of 200 m$^2$. The instrument comprises fiber fed integrated optics beam combination, high resolution spectroscopy, built-in beam analysis and control, near-infrared wavefront sensing, phase-tracking, dual beam operation and laser metrology [...]. This article gives an overview of GRAVITY and reports on the performance and the first astronomical observations during commissioning in 2015/16. We demonstrate phase tracking on stars as faint as m$_K$ ~ 10 mag, phase-referenced interferometry of objects fainter than m$_K$ ~ 15 mag with a limiting magnitude of m$_K$ ~ 17 mag, minute long coherent integrations, a visibility accuracy of better than 0.25 %, and spectro-differential phase and closure phase accuracy better than 0.5°, corresponding to a differential astrometric precision of better than 10 microarcseconds ({\mu}as). The dual-beam astrometry, measuring the phase difference of two objects with laser metrology, is still under commissioning. First observations show residuals as low as 50 {\mu}as when following objects over several months. We illustrate the instrument performance with the observations of archetypical objects for the different instrument modes. Examples include the Galactic Center supermassive black hole and its fast orbiting star S2 for phase referenced dual beam observations and infrared wavefront sensing, the High Mass X-Ray Binary BP Cru and the Active Galactic Nucleus of PDS 456 for few {\mu}as spectro-differential astrometry, the T Tauri star S CrA for a spectro-differential visibility analysis, {\xi} Tel and 24 Cap for high accuracy visibility observations, and {\eta} Car for interferometric imaging with GRAVITY.
391 citations
••
TL;DR: GRAVITY as discussed by the authors is a new instrument to coherently combine the light of the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope Interferometer to form a telescope with an equivalent 130 m diameter angular resolution and a collecting area of 200 m2.
Abstract: GRAVITY is a new instrument to coherently combine the light of the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope Interferometer to form a telescope with an equivalent 130 m diameter angular resolution and a collecting area of 200 m2. The instrument comprises fiber fed integrated optics beam combination, high resolution spectroscopy, built-in beam analysis and control, near-infrared wavefront sensing, phase-tracking, dual-beam operation, and laser metrology. GRAVITY opens up to optical/infrared interferometry the techniques of phase referenced imaging and narrow angle astrometry, in many aspects following the concepts of radio interferometry. This article gives an overview of GRAVITY and reports on the performance and the first astronomical observations during commissioning in 2015/16. We demonstrate phase-tracking on stars as faint as mK ≈ 10 mag, phase-referenced interferometry of objects fainter than mK ≈ 15 mag with a limiting magnitude of mK ≈ 17 mag, minute long coherent integrations, a visibility accuracy of better than 0.25%, and spectro-differential phase and closure phase accuracy better than 0.5°, corresponding to a differential astrometric precision of better than ten microarcseconds (μas). The dual-beam astrometry, measuring the phase difference of two objects with laser metrology, is still under commissioning. First observations show residuals as low as 50 μas when following objects over several months. We illustrate the instrument performance with the observations of archetypical objects for the different instrument modes. Examples include the Galactic center supermassive black hole and its fast orbiting star S2 for phase referenced dual-beam observations and infrared wavefront sensing, the high mass X-ray binary BP Cru and the active galactic nucleus of PDS 456 for a few μas spectro-differential astrometry, the T Tauri star S CrA for a spectro-differential visibility analysis, ξ Tel and 24 Cap for high accuracy visibility observations, and η Car for interferometric imaging with GRAVITY.
347 citations
••
TL;DR: A new tunable laser source concept for multiple-wavelength interferometry is proposed, offering an unprecedented large choice of synthetic wavelengths with a relative uncertainty better than 10(-11) in vacuum, which opens the way to absolute distance measurement with nanometer accuracy.
Abstract: We propose a new tunable laser source concept for multiple-wavelength interferometry, offering an unprecedented large choice of synthetic wavelengths with a relative uncertainty better than 10(-11) in vacuum. Two lasers are frequency stabilized over a wide range of frequency intervals defined by the frequency comb generated by a mode-locked fiber laser. In addition, we present experimental results demonstrating the generation of a 90 mum synthetic wavelength calibrated with an accuracy better than 0.2 parts in 10(6). With this synthetic wavelength we can resolve one optical wavelength, which opens the way to absolute distance measurement with nanometer accuracy.
154 citations
••
TL;DR: A new approach to multiple-wavelength interferometry, targeted to high bandwidth absolute distance measurement, with nanometer accuracy over long distances, is proposed, with an accuracy of 8 nm over 800 mm for target velocities up to 50 mm/s.
Abstract: We propose a new approach to multiple-wavelength interferometry, targeted to high bandwidth absolute distance measurement, with nanometer accuracy over long distances. Two cw lasers are stabilized over a wide range of frequency intervals defined by an optical frequency comb, thus offering an unprecedented large choice of synthetic wavelengths. By applying a superheterodyne detection technique, we demonstrated experimentally an accuracy of 8 nm over 800 mm for target velocities up to 50 mm/s.
152 citations
••
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe the status of the VLTI and its subsystems, discuss the planning for first fringes with the different telescopes and instruments, and present an outlook for the future of interferometry with very large Telescopes.
Abstract: The Very Large Telescope (VLT) Observatory on Cerro Paranal (2635 m) in Northern Chile is approaching completion in this year when the fourth of the 8-m Unit Telescopes will see first light. At the same time, the preparation for first fringes of the VLT Interferometer (VLTI) is advancing rapidly with the goal of having the first fringes with two siderostats within this year. In this article we describe the status of the VLTI and its subsystems, we discuss the planning for first fringes with the different telescopes and instruments. Eventually, we present an outlook for the future of interferometry with Very Large Telescopes.
62 citations
Cited by
More filters
01 Dec 2006
TL;DR: In this article, NAFU SA and other role players expressed some criticism about government programmes. The criticism was not so much about the objectives and content of these programmes, but rather about their accessibility, or lack thereof, to emerging farmers.
Abstract: Recently NAFU SA and other role players expressed some criticism about government programmes. The criticism was not so much about the objectives and content of these programmes, but rather about their accessibility, or lack thereof, to emerging farmers.
819 citations
••
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors demonstrate a coherent laser ranging system that combines the advantages of time-of-flight and interferometric approaches to provide absolute distance measurements, simultaneously from multiple reflectors, and at low power.
Abstract: The ability to determine absolute distance to an object is one of the most basic measurements of remote sensing. High-precision ranging has important applications in both large-scale manufacturing and in future tight formation-flying satellite missions, where rapid and precise measurements of absolute distance are critical for maintaining the relative pointing and position of the individual satellites. Using two coherent broadband fibre-laser frequency comb sources, we demonstrate a coherent laser ranging system that combines the advantages of time-of-flight and interferometric approaches to provide absolute distance measurements, simultaneously from multiple reflectors, and at low power. The pulse time-of-flight yields a precision of 3 µm with an ambiguity range of 1.5 m in 200 µs. Through the optical carrier phase, the precision is improved to better than 5 nm at 60 ms, and through the radio-frequency phase the ambiguity range is extended to 30 km, potentially providing 2 parts in 1013 ranging at long distances. Using two coherent broadband fibre-laser frequency comb sources, a coherent laser ranging system for absolute distance measurements is demonstrated. Its combination of precision, speed and long range may prove particularly useful for space-based sciences.
789 citations
••
European Southern Observatory1, University of Lisbon2, University of Porto3, Max Planck Society4, University of Grenoble5, University of Geneva6, Paris Diderot University7, Leiden University8, University of Cologne9, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies10, University of California, Berkeley11, Space Telescope Science Institute12
TL;DR: Eisenhauer et al. as mentioned in this paper detect the combined gravitational redshift and relativistic transverse Doppler effect for S2 of z = Δλ / λ ≈ 200 km s−1/c with different statistical analysis methods.
Abstract: The highly elliptical, 16-year-period orbit of the star S2 around the massive black hole candidate Sgr A✻ is a sensitive probe of the gravitational field in the Galactic centre. Near pericentre at 120 AU ≈ 1400 Schwarzschild radii, the star has an orbital speed of ≈7650 km s−1, such that the first-order effects of Special and General Relativity have now become detectable with current capabilities. Over the past 26 years, we have monitored the radial velocity and motion on the sky of S2, mainly with the SINFONI and NACO adaptive optics instruments on the ESO Very Large Telescope, and since 2016 and leading up to the pericentre approach in May 2018, with the four-telescope interferometric beam-combiner instrument GRAVITY. From data up to and including pericentre, we robustly detect the combined gravitational redshift and relativistic transverse Doppler effect for S2 of z = Δλ / λ ≈ 200 km s−1/c with different statistical analysis methods. When parameterising the post-Newtonian contribution from these effects by a factor f , with f = 0 and f = 1 corresponding to the Newtonian and general relativistic limits, respectively, we find from posterior fitting with different weighting schemes f = 0.90 ± 0.09|stat ± 0.15|sys. The S2 data are inconsistent with pure Newtonian dynamics.Key words: Galaxy: center / gravitation / black hole physics⋆ This paper is dedicated to Tal Alexander, who passed away about a week before the pericentre approach of S2.⋆⋆ GRAVITY is developed in a collaboration by the Max Planck Institute for extraterrestrial Physics, LESIA of Paris Observatory/CNRS/Sorbonne Universite/Univ. Paris Diderot and IPAG of Universite Grenoble Alpes/CNRS, the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, the University of Cologne, the CENTRA – Centro de Astrofisica e Gravitacao, and the European Southern Observatory.⋆⋆⋆ Corresponding author: F. Eisenhauer e-mail: eisenhau@mpe.mpg.de
693 citations
01 Jan 2016
TL;DR: The interferometry and synthesis in radio astronomy is universally compatible with any devices to read and is available in the book collection an online access to it is set as public so you can download it instantly.
Abstract: Thank you for reading interferometry and synthesis in radio astronomy. As you may know, people have look numerous times for their favorite novels like this interferometry and synthesis in radio astronomy, but end up in malicious downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of tea in the afternoon, instead they are facing with some malicious virus inside their computer. interferometry and synthesis in radio astronomy is available in our book collection an online access to it is set as public so you can download it instantly. Our book servers spans in multiple locations, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Merely said, the interferometry and synthesis in radio astronomy is universally compatible with any devices to read.
630 citations
••
TL;DR: Interferometric mid-infrared observations that spatially resolve dust structures in the galaxy NGC 1068 reveal warm dust in a structure 2.1 parsec thick and 3.4 parsec in diameter, surrounding a smaller hot structure.
Abstract: Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) display many energetic phenomena—broad emission lines, X-rays, relativistic jets, radio lobes—originating from matter falling onto a supermassive black hole. It is widely accepted that orientation effects play a major role in explaining the observational appearance of AGNs. Seen from certain directions, circum-nuclear dust clouds would block our view of the central powerhouse1,2. Indirect evidence suggests that the dust clouds form a parsec-sized torus-shaped distribution. This explanation, however, remains unproved, as even the largest telescopes have not been able to resolve the dust structures. Here we report interferometric mid-infrared observations that spatially resolve these structures in the galaxy NGC 1068. The observations reveal warm (320 K) dust in a structure 2.1 parsec thick and 3.4 parsec in diameter, surrounding a smaller hot structure. As such a configuration of dust clouds would collapse in a time much shorter than the active phase of the AGN3, this observation requires a continual input of kinetic energy to the cloud system from a source coexistent with the AGN.
595 citations