Optical configuration and analysis of the AMBER/VLTI instrument

Robbe-Dubois, S.; Lagarde, S.; Petrov, R.; Lisi, F.; Beckmann, U.; Antonelli, P.; Bresson, Y.; Martinot-Lagarde, G.; Roussel, Alain; Salinari, Piero; Vannier, M.; Chelli, A.; Dugué, M.; Duvert, G.; Gennari, S.; Glück, L.; Kern, P.; Coarer, E. Le; Malbet, Fabien; Millour, F.; Perraut, K.; Puget, P.; Rantakyrö, F.; Tatulli, E.; Weigelt, G.; Zins, G.; Accardo, M.; Acke, B.; Agabi, Karim; Altariba, E.; Arezki, B.; Aristidi, Éric; Baffa, C.; Behrend, J.; Blöcker, T.; Bonhomme, S.; Busoni, S.; Cassaing, F.; Clausse, J. M.; Colin, J.; Connot, C.; Delage, Laurent; Delboulbé, A.; Souza, A. Domiciano de; Driebe, T.; Feautrier, Philippe; Ferruzzi, D.; Forveille, T.; Fossat, E.; Foy, R.; Fraix-Burnet, Didier; Gallardo, Aurelio; Giani, E.; Gil, C.; Glentzlin, A.; Heiden, M.; Heininger, M.; Utrera, O. Hernández; Hofmann, Karl H.; Kamm, D.; Kiekebusch, M.; Kraus, Stefan; Contel, D. Le; Contel, J. M. Le; Lesourd, T.; López, B.; López, M.; Magnard, Y.; Marconi, A.; Mars, G.; Mathias, P.; Mège, P.; Monin, J.; Mouillet, D.; Mourard, D.; Nußbaum, E.; Ohnaka, K.; Pacheco, J. A. de Freitas; Perrier, C.; Rabbia, Yves; Rebattu, S.; Reynaud, François; Richichi, A.; Robini, A.; Sacchettini, M.; Schertl, D.; Schöller, M.; Solscheid, W.; Spang, A.; Stee, Philippe; Stefanini, P.; Tallon, Michel; Tallon–Bosc, I.; Tasso, D.; Testi, L.; Vakili, F.; Lühe, O. von der; Valtier, J. C.; Ventura, N.

doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20065432

Cited by 12 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…3.1) and the data reduction (Sect. 3.2) are described in much greater details in other papers in this volume (Robbe-Dubois et al 2007;Tatulli et al 2007b). Here, the reader should find a summary and a brief justification of the fundamental choices made in the design of AMBER and its data processing.…”

Section: The Amber Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%

AMBER, the near-infrared spectro-interferometric three-telescope VLTI instrument

Petrov¹,

Malbet²,

Weigelt

et al. 2007

A&A

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Context. Optical long-baseline interferometry is moving a crucial step forward with the advent of general-user scientific instruments that equip large aperture and hectometric baseline facilities, such as the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Aims. AMBER is one of the VLTI instruments that combines up to three beams with low, moderate and high spectral resolutions in order to provide milli-arcsecond spatial resolution for compact astrophysical sources in the near-infrared wavelength domain. Its main specifications are based on three key programs on young stellar objects, active galactic nuclei central regions, masses, and spectra of hot extra-solar planets. Methods. These key science goals led to scientific specifications, which were used to propose and then validate the instrument concept. AMBER uses single-mode fibers to filter the entrance signal and to reach highly accurate, multiaxial three-beam combination, yielding three baselines and a closure phase, three spectral dispersive elements, and specific self-calibration procedures. Results. The AMBER measurements yield spectrally dispersed calibrated visibilities, color-differential complex visibilities, and a closure phase allows astronomers to contemplate rudimentary imaging and highly accurate visibility and phase differential measurements. AMBER was installed in 2004 at the Paranal Observatory. We describe here the present implementation of the instrument in the configuration with which the astronomical community can access it. Conclusions. After two years of commissioning tests and preliminary observations, AMBER has produced its first refereed publications, allowing assessment of its scientific potential.

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Section: The Amber Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%

AMBER, the near-infrared spectro-interferometric three-telescope VLTI instrument

Petrov¹,

Malbet²,

Weigelt

et al. 2007

A&A

Self Cite

321

210

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“…To progress in the understanding of Be stars, we initiated an observational campaign of the brightest, closest objects using the VLTI/AMBER Robbe-Dubois et al 2007) and VLTI/MIDI (Leinert et al 2003) instruments for the southern stars and the CHARA/VEGA (Mourard et al 2009) for the northern ones. In this paper, we present new VLTI/AMBER spectro-interferometric observations of eight classical Be stars: α Col, κ CMa, ω Car, p Car, δ Cen, μ Cen, α Ara, and o Aqr.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First spectro-interferometric survey of Be stars

Meilland

Millour

Kanaan

et al. 2012

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Context. Classical Be stars are hot non-supergiant stars surrounded by a gaseous circumstellar disk that is responsible for the observed infrared-excess and emission lines. The phenomena involved in the disk formation still remain highly debated. Aims. To progress in the understanding of the physical process or processes responsible for the mass ejections and test the hypothesis that they depend on the stellar parameters, we initiated a survey on the circumstellar environment of the brightest Be stars. Methods. To achieve this goal, we used spectro-interferometry, the only technique that combines high spectral (R = 12 000) and high spatial (θ min = 4 mas) resolutions. Observations were carried out at the Paranal observatory with the VLTI/AMBER instrument. We concentrated our observations on the Brγ emission line to be able to study the kinematics within the circumstellar disk. Our sample is composed of eight bright classical Be stars: α Col, κ CMa, ω Car, p Car, δ Cen, μ Cen, α Ara, and o Aqr. Results. We managed to determine the disk extension in the line and the nearby continuum for most targets. We also constrained the disk kinematics, showing that it is dominated by rotation with a rotation law close to the Keplerian one. Our survey also suggests that these stars are rotating at a mean velocity of V/V c = 0.82 ± 0.08. This corresponds to a rotational rate of Ω/Ω c = 0.95 ± 0.02. Conclusions. We did not detect any correlation between the stellar parameters and the structure of the circumstellar environment. Moreover, it seems that a simple model of a geometrically thin Keplerian disk can explain most of our spectrally resolved K-band data. Nevertheless, some small departures from this model have been detected for at least two objects (i.e., κ CMa and α Col). Finally, our Be stars sample suggests that rotation is the main physical process driving the mass-ejection. Nevertheless, smaller effects from other mechanisms have to be taken into account to fully explain how the residual gravity is compensated.

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“…The optical setup of AMBER, described in Robbe-Dubois et al (2007), provides three photometric beams and one interferometric beam, which are formed along a line of the detector and then are spectrally dispersed along its columns. To increase the sensitivity, the conceptors of the instrument chose to minimize the number of pixels used to sample the fringes of the interferogram.…”

Section: Amber Spatial Recombinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimised data reduction for the AMBER/VLTI instrument

Chelli¹,

Utrera²,

Duvert³

2009

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127

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Context. The signal processing of multi-aperture monomode interferometers using multiaxial recombination, such as AMBER/VLTI, makes use of the modeling of the fringes in the image space called the "P2VM method". This method was only validated on simulated data. Aims. We aim to validate the P2VM method on-sky, and to use the knowledge acquired during more than three years of use of the instrument to provide improved data processing algorithms. Methods. We compare the on-sky results of the P2VM algorithm with those provided by the standard, well known, and robust Fourier method. Results. We first prove that the current implementation of the P2VM method used in the AMBER data reduction is biased for intermediate and low flux measurements. We determine the physical origin of these biases, then modify the data model accordingly, and introduce an improved noise model. We demonstrate that the P2VM method, together with the more realistic data and noise models, give results that are now in accordance with those provided by the Fourier method.

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Optical configuration and analysis of the AMBER/VLTI instrument

Cited by 12 publications

References 18 publications

AMBER, the near-infrared spectro-interferometric three-telescope VLTI instrument

AMBER, the near-infrared spectro-interferometric three-telescope VLTI instrument

First spectro-interferometric survey of Be stars

Optimised data reduction for the AMBER/VLTI instrument

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