Mass-luminosity relation and space-based interferometry: from Hubble Space Telescope to the Space Interferometry Mission

G. Fritz Benedict; Todd J. Henry; Barbara E. McArthur; Douglas R. Gies; David A. Golimowski; Philip A. Ianna; Brian D. Mason; Edmund P. Nelan; Guillermo Torres

doi:10.1117/12.460708

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26 February 2003 Mass-luminosity relation and space-based interferometry: from Hubble Space Telescope to the space interferometry mission

G. Fritz Benedict, Todd J. Henry, Barbara E. McArthur, Douglas R. Gies, David A. Golimowski, Philip A. Ianna, Brian D. Mason, Edmund P. Nelan, Guillermo Torres

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Proceedings Volume 4852, Interferometry in Space; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.460708
Event: Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, 2002, Waikoloa, Hawai'i, United States

Abstract

With a white-light interferometer (Fine Guidance Sensor 3) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) we have secured fringe scanning and fringe tracking observations to measure distances, orbits, and, hence, masses, for several nearby low-mass stars. We have made progress towards a more precise Mass-Luminosity Relation (MLR) for the lower Main Sequence. However, the MLR is a map whose low mass region is complicated by relative and absolute age and whose high-mass end is very poorly determined. To begin to disentangle these effects, and to obtain high-precision mass determinations throughout the Main Sequence, we will participate in the Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) to observe binary stars of all masses in five star clusters with a large range of well-known ages and chemical compositions. We will also observe a sample of stars throughout the Main Sequence. The unparalleled angular resolution and limiting magnitude of SIM will allow us to obtain masses precise to 1%.

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G. Fritz Benedict, Todd J. Henry, Barbara E. McArthur, Douglas R. Gies, David A. Golimowski, Philip A. Ianna, Brian D. Mason, Edmund P. Nelan, and Guillermo Torres "Mass-luminosity relation and space-based interferometry: from Hubble Space Telescope to the space interferometry mission", Proc. SPIE 4852, Interferometry in Space, (26 February 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.460708

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