Speaker
Description
The LFAST project utilizes an array of small, economical, individually operating telescopes to create a large collecting area for high-resolution spectroscopy. Each unit telescope features a 0.76 m primary mirror operating at f/3.3, feeding an optical fiber of 18 µm core diameter that subtends a 1.4 arcsec field on the sky. We are currently constructing our first prototype, which consists of an array of 20 telescopes on a common mount. This system is scheduled to be deployed on-sky by the end of 2026, and we are studying how LFAST will fit into the future landscape of intensity interferometers.
Our interchangeable focal-plane fiber puck design allows convenient switching between our step-index fiber feeding the spectrograph and graded-index fiber for a photon counting instrument, supporting both high-resolution spectroscopy and intensity interferometry observations. While the prototype forms a standalone intensity interferometer, the modular nature of the array allows multiple 20x systems to be placed at separate locations, extending the available baseline coverage and angular resolution. We are also investigating the potentials for combining such arrays with existing telescope facilities to create larger heterogeneous interferometry networks.
To assess these possibilities, we are evaluating the sensitivity and performance of the prototype instrument and future large-scale configurations comprising hundreds of telescopes. These simulations explore how array size, baseline distribution, and instrument characteristics affect scientific capabilities and reveal the scaling behavior of next-generation intensity interferometry facilities. In this poster, I will describe our modeling efforts and discuss expected sensitivities for intensity interferometer concepts built around the LFAST platform.
