Performance of the upgraded VERITAS Stellar Intensity Interferometer (VSII)

David B. Kieda

doi:10.1117/12.2630227

26 August 2022 Performance of the upgraded VERITAS Stellar Intensity Interferometer (VSII)

David B. Kieda

Proceedings Volume 12183, Optical and Infrared Interferometry and Imaging VIII; 121830D (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2630227
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2022, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Abstract

The VERITAS Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescope array (IACT) was augmented in 2019 with high-speed focal plane electronics to create a new Stellar Intensity Interferometry (SII) observational capability (VERITAS-SII, or VSII). VSII operates during bright moon periods, providing high angular resolution observations ( < 1 mas) in the B photometric band using idle telescope time. VSII has already demonstrated the ability to measure the diameters of two B stars at 416 nm (Bet CMa and Eps Ori) with < 5% accuracy using relatively short (5 hours) exposures.¹ The VSII instrumentation was recently improved to increase instrumental sensitivity and observational efficiency. This paper describes the upgraded VSII instrumentation and documents the ongoing improvements in VSII sensitivity. The report describes VSII’s progress in extending SII measurements to dimmer magnitude stars and improving the VSII angular diameter measurement resolution to better than 1%.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

David B. Kieda "Performance of the upgraded VERITAS Stellar Intensity Interferometer (VSII)", Proc. SPIE 12183, Optical and Infrared Interferometry and Imaging VIII, 121830D (26 August 2022); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2630227

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