GRAVITY: observing the universe in motion

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2011-03

Authors

Frank Eisenhauer (Author) Other; Guy Perrin (Author) Other; Wolfgang Brandner (Author) Other; Christian Straubmeier (Author) Other; Karine Perraut (Author) Other; António Amorim (Author) Other; Markus Schöller (Author) Other; Stefan Gillessen (Author) Other; Pierre Kervella (Author) Other; Myriam Benisty (Author) Other; Constanza Araujo-Hauck (Author) Other; Laurent Jocou (Author) Other; Jorge Lima (Author) Other; Gerd Jakob (Author) Other; Marcus Haug (Author) Other; Yann Clénet (Author) Other; Thomas Henning (Author) Other; Andreas Eckart (Author) Other; Jean-Philippe Berger (Author) Other; P. J. V. Garcia (Author) FEUP; Jaime Villate (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: The Messenger

Vol. 143

Pages: 16-24

ISSN: 0722-6691

Indexing

INSPEC

Other information

Abstract (EN): GRAVITY is the second generation Very Large Telescope Interferometer instrument for precision narrow-angle as - trometry and interferometric imaging. With its fibre-fed integrated optics, wavefront sensors, fringe tracker, 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 objects and 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.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 9