CHARA/MIRC-X -- a high-sensitive six telescope interferometric imager concept, commissioning, and early science

TL;DR

MIRC-X is a high-sensitivity six-telescope interferometric imager at CHARA, enabling detailed studies of faint astronomical objects with improved sensitivity and early science results since 2017.

Contribution

The paper introduces MIRC-X, a new high-sensitivity beam combiner that significantly enhances faint object observations in optical interferometry.

Findings

Achieved up to two magnitudes of sensitivity improvement.

Demonstrated successful early science results with faint targets.

Enabled new scientific programs in stellar and extragalactic astrophysics.

Abstract

MIRC-X is a six telescope beam combiner at the CHARA array that works in J and H wavelength bands and provides an angular resolution equivalent to a $B$=331m diameter telescope. The legacy MIRC combiner has delivered outstanding results in the fields of stellar astrophysics and binaries. However, we required higher sensitivity to make ambitious scientific measurements of faint targets such as young stellar objects, binary systems with exoplanets, and active galactic nuclei. For that purpose, MIRC-X is built and is offered to the community since mid-2017. MIRC-X has demonstrated up to two magnitudes of improved faint magnitude sensitivity with the best-case H <= 8. Here we present a review of the instrument and present early science results, and highlight some of our ongoing science programs.