Ten years of speckle interferometry at SOAR

TL;DR

Over ten years, speckle interferometry at SOAR has measured thousands of binary stars with high precision, discovering new pairs and providing valuable data for stellar astrophysics.

Contribution

This paper details the development, methods, and results of a decade-long speckle interferometry program at SOAR, including instrument improvements and a large dataset of binary star measurements.

Findings

Measured over 11,000 binary stars with 1mas accuracy

Discovered 200 new binary pairs or subsystems

Achieved diffraction-limited resolution of 29mas at 540nm

Abstract

Since 2007, close binary and multiple stars are observed by speckle interferometry at the 4.1 m Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope. The HRCam instrument, observing strategy and planning, data processing and calibration methods, developed and improved during ten years, are presented here in a concise way. Thousands of binary stars were measured with diffraction-limited resolution (29mas at 540nm wavelength) and a high accuracy reaching 1mas; two hundred new pairs or subsystems were discovered. To date, HRCam has performed over 11000 observations with a high efficiency (up to 300 stars per night). An overview of the main results delivered by this instrument is given.