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The ST3 Mission, and its Capabilities for Be Star Observations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

R. P. Linfield*
Affiliation:
Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125

Abstract

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The ST3 mission will launch a space optical interferometer into heliocentric orbit, for observation of 50–100 sources on baselines of 40–200 m, during a time span of 3–4.5 months. The angular resolution in the 450–900 nm passband will be ≈ 500 microarcseconds. For Be stars, a velocity resolution of 50–100 km/s can be achieved by operating the interferometer in a Fourier Transform Spectrometer mode. This should allow spectrally resolved measurements of the brightness distribution in circumstellar disks, but will be limited to stars brighter than a visual magnitude of ≈ 5.

Type
2. New Missions
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2000

References

Abbott, D.C., & Conti, P.S. 1987, AR&A, 25, 113 Google Scholar