Recent Results and Perspectives for Precision Astrometry and Photometry with Adaptive Optics

TL;DR

Recent advancements in adaptive optics on ground-based telescopes have significantly improved high-resolution infrared astrometry and photometry, enabling detailed studies of stellar environments, black holes, and exoplanets.

Contribution

This paper reviews recent improvements, current limitations, and potential applications of adaptive optics for precise astrometry and photometry in crowded stellar fields.

Findings

Achieved relative astrometric accuracy of <0.2 mas.

Attained relative photometric accuracy of 3%.

Enabled studies of black holes, exoplanets, and star clusters.

Abstract

Large ground-based telescopes equipped with adaptive optics (AO) systems have ushered in a new era of high-resolution infrared photometry and astrometry. Relative astrometric accuracies of <0.2 mas have already been demonstrated from infrared images with spatial resolutions of 55-95 mas resolution over 10-20'' fields of view. Relative photometric accuracies of 3% and absolute photometric accuracies of 5%-20% are also possible. I will review improvements and current limitations in astrometry and photometry with adaptive optics of crowded stellar fields. These capabilities enable experiments such as measuring orbits for brown dwarfs and exoplanets, studying our Galaxy's supermassive black hole and its environment, and identifying individual stars in young star clusters, which can be used test the universality of the initial mass function.