Prospects for the study of dust making Wolf-Rayet binaries with the VLTI-Spectro-Imager (VSI)

TL;DR

This paper discusses the potential of the VLTI-Spectro-Imager (VSI) instrument for studying dust-producing Wolf-Rayet binary systems, highlighting its specifications, expected imaging capabilities, and scientific interest in observing pinwheel nebulae.

Contribution

It presents the preliminary science case and expected performance of VSI for imaging dust-making Wolf-Rayet binaries, an area not extensively explored before.

Findings

VSI has promising imaging capabilities for Wolf-Rayet binaries.

Preliminary results demonstrate potential to resolve pinwheel nebulae.

The study highlights scientific interest in systems like WR98a and WR104.

Abstract

In response to ESO's call for proposals for second generation instruments for the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), a consortium is currently developing the VLTI-Spectro-Imager (VSI). In the context of the Phase A study, a science group has prepared a science case taking advantage of the expected performances of VSI. Among several science topics, the case of dust making Wolf-Rayet binaries producing the so-called pinwheel nebulae has been considered. Here, we review the main specifications of VSI, and we provide preliminary results expected to illustrate the imaging capabilities of VSI, and the interest for the study of pinwheel nebulae similar to those formed close to well-known systems such as WR98a and WR104.