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September 11, 2003

Prof. John D. Monnier
University of Michigan

Title: Imaging with Optical Interferometry

In many areas of astrophysics, especially those addressing the most mysterious phases of stellar evolution, progress is stymied by lack of angular resolution in the visible and infrared, which is limited by both diffraction of the collecting telescope and atmospheric turbulence. Interferometry overcomes these limitations by combining light from widely-separated apertures, but is technically challenging and requires sophisticated image reconstruction algorithms. In order to explore the potential for imaging complex objects using optical interferometry, the 10-meter Keck-I telescope has been converted into an interferometric array using aperture masking techniques, allowing near-infrared imaging with the diffraction-limited resolution of ~50 milli-arcseconds. I will discuss a few of our most surprising findings, results which are changing our views of accretion disks around young stellar objects (YSOs), the physics of colliding winds in massive binaries, and the mechanisms of stellar mass-loss from evolved stars. Also I will reveal first results of two new interferometric surveys of YSOs taking advantage of the incredible sensitivity of the long-baseline Keck-Keck Interferometer and the imaging capabilities of the 3-telescope IOTA array.