Recent highlights from The CHARA Array
Gail Schaefer, Theo A. ten Brummelaar, Douglas R. Gies, Matthew Anderson, C. Farrington, Steve Golden, Jeremy Jones, Robert Klement, Olli Majoinen, Stephen T. Ridgway, J. Sturmann, L. Sturmann, N. H. Turner, Norm Vargas, L. T. Webster, Craig Woods
Abstract
The CHARA Array is an optical/infrared interferometer that combines the light from six 1-meter telescopes. With baselines ranging from 34 to 331 meters, CHARA provides sub-milliarcsecond resolution to measure stellar diameters, image stellar surfaces, resolve close binary companions, and study circumstellar environments. In this paper, we present recent highlights from the CHARA Array, focusing on the implementation of adaptive optics, the ongoing development of next generation beam combiners, an update on the community access program, and a discussion about future developments.