Optical Observations with Milliarcsecond Resolution of Stars, Their Environments and Companions

• DOI: 10.5140/jass.2012.29.1.063
• Publication Date: 2012-04-26T03:20:39Z
• Authors: Jason J. Sanborn; Robert T. Zavala
• Keywords: Navy Optical Interferometer; Astronomy; 0103 physical sciences; astrometry; QB1-991; optical interferometry; binaries; 01 natural sciences

Observations with milliarsecond resolution using the Navy Optical Interferometer have been obtained for a number of stellar systems which include high-mass binaries, eclipsing binaries, and radio stars. These observations also reveal the previously unseen companions in single-lined spectroscopic binaries via directly measured flux ratios. We will present examples of published and ongoing research efforts of these systems to illustrate how an optical interferometer contributes to our knowledge of stars, their environment, and companions. These studies include a conclusive revealing of the previously unseen companion in the single-lined binary Φ Herculis, the direct determination of orbital parameters in the wide and close orbits of Algol, and revealing the orbit of β Lyrae with spatially resolved images of the Hα emission.