GRAVITY+ was recently recommended by the ESO Scientific and Technical Committee as the top priority instrument upgrade for the VLT/I and will start the Phase A in 2021. It will transform interferometric capabilities of the VLTI by enhancing the sensitivity to K=18mag on-axis or K=22mag off-axis with Laser Guide Stars on all UTs and will allow phase referencing over an unprecedented large field of >30" (compared to currently 2"). This will enable milliarcsecond imaging and microarcsecond astrometry in the infrared for a wide new range of Galactic and extragalactic science cases. The GRAVITY+ consortium invites interested members of the ESO science community to a two half-day online workshop on GRAVITY+ that will take place on 24-25 February 2021.
The Infrared Sky at Milli- and Microarcsecond Resolution with GRAVITY+ Online Workshop: 24-25 February 2021
By opening this new discovery space, the VLTI will become of broad interest to the European science community beyond the classical interferometry fields. The aim of this workshop is to present the instrument to potential future users, highlight the major science cases, and present new ideas from the community on the use of the instrument. This ranges from the Galactic Centre, active galactic nuclei, supermassive black hole binaries, tidal disruption events and intermediate mass black holes to the characterisation of exoplanets, young and old stars, and microlenses.
The aim is to have a wide participation of the ESO user base from Australia to Chile with one European afternoon session (24 February; Galactic science) and one morning session (25 February; extragalactic science). Please register free of charge by 8 February 2021 using the Registration form
There are also a limited number of time slots available for new ideas for GRAVITY+ science from the community, so please also consider submitting an abstract. Questions about the workshop can be directed at the organisers Laura Kreidberg and Sebastian Hoenig.