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Performance of the MAGIC stellar intensity interferometer and expansion to MAGIC + CTAO-LST1 stellar intensity interferometer
Conference paper

Performance of the MAGIC stellar intensity interferometer and expansion to MAGIC + CTAO-LST1 stellar intensity interferometer

Alejo Cifuentes, V.A. Acciari, F. Barnes, G. Chon, E. Colombo, J. Cortina, C. Delgado, C. Díaz, M. Fiori, D. Fink, …
Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering, Vol.13095, 1309527
2024

Abstract

CTAO Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes Instrumentation: High Angular Resolution Instrumentation: Interferometers Optical Intensity Interferometry Stars: Fast Rotators Stars: Fundamental Parameters Stars: Imaging Electronic Optical and Magnetic Materials Instrumentation Condensed Matter Physics Computer Science Applications Applied Mathematics Electrical and Electronic Engineering
A new generation of optical intensity interferometers are emerging in recent years taking advantage of the existing infrastructure of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs). The MAGIC SII (Stellar Intensity Interferometer) in La Palma, Spain, has been operating since its first successful measurements in 2019 and its current design allows it to operate regularly. The current setup is ready to follow up on bright optical transients, as changing from regular gamma-ray observations to SII mode can be done in a matter of minutes. A paper studying the system performance, first measurements and future upgrades has been recently published. MAGIC SII's first scientific results are the measurement of the angular size of 22 stars, 13 of which with no previous measurements in the B band. More recently the Large Sized Telescope prototype from the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAOLST1) has been upgraded to operate together with MAGIC as a SII, leading to its first correlation measurements at the beginning of 2024. MAGIC+CTAO-LST1 SII will be further upgraded by adding the remaining CTAO-LSTs at the north site to the system (which are foreseen to be built by the end of 2025). MAGIC+CTAO-LST1 SII shows a feasible technical solution to extend SII to the whole CTAO.

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