Title: The LBT Interferometer - a general-purpose instrument for sensitive, high-angular resolution, mid-infrared observations.
Abstract:
The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) is a NASA-funded PI instrument on the LBT. It is designed for both direct adaptive optics imaging and interferometry with exceptional sensitivity at thermal-infrared wavelengths. The LBTI thus exploits LBT’s unique design, making it a pathfinder for future Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs). LBTI's higher resolution, smaller inner working angle, and ability to observe brighter targets, but overlapping wavelength range and capabilities also create important synergies with JWST. At the same time, the LBTI has successfully struck a balance between an actively developed instrumentation experiment and a productive science instrument available to the broad LBT user community.
This talk will have three parts. First, I will present a general overview of the LBTI's design and capabilities. Next, I will present some of the most significant science results produced with the instrument by our team and user community. My focus will in particular be on the LBTI’s core mission, the recently completed Hunt for Observable Signatures of Terrestrial Planetary Systems (HOSTS), and our newest, large effort to directly image rocky, habitable-zone planets around the closest suitable stars. Finally, I will describe the instrument’s operations scheme and what to expect as a general LBTI user.
