Infrared interferometry of circumstellar envelopes

Abstract

This paper will review the technical progress of interferometric infrared observing techniques from the first 2-element interferometer 25 years ago to the 3+ element arrays now coming into service. To date, only the Infrared Spatial Interferometer (ISI) has published separate-element interferometric data on circumstellar dust shells in the infrared and many of these scientific results will be discussed. Speckle interferometry has also evolved significantly over the last few decades as slit-scanning techniques over single-pixel detectors have largely been replaced by fast-readout of large format detector arrays. Important near-infrared and mid-infrared results derived from speckle data will also be reviewed.Until recently, two-dimensional information about circumstellar dust distributions has been sorely lacking, hence detections of dust shell asymmetries have been difficult and uncertain. New speckle observations using modern, 10-m class telescopes have yielded surprising results, demonstrating the importance of accurate closure phase information in interpreting interferometric data. These discoveries hopefully precursor those to be made from closure-phase imaging with the new generation of separate-element, interferometric arrays.