Abstract
Interferometric arrays of many large telescopes will follow the current
precursor interferometers. A few dozen telescopes, equipped with adaptive
optics for intra and inter-aperture phasing, mobile on a 1 - 10km
terrestrial platform, can provide snapshot images having 10-4 to
10-5 arc-second resolution. On visible objects as faint as mv=25,
blind phasing is achievable with the help of laser guide stars on each
telescope. The corresponding science is particularly rich and relevant to
current issues in stellar physics and cosmology. Following the completion and
test of a prototype 1.5 meter telescope, specifically designed for a
27-element interferometric array, larger component telescopes of 8 to 10m may
become buildable at a sufficiently low cost for affordable arrays. A
preliminary design concept is presented.
In space, arrays of free-flying telescopes currently studied by NASA and ESA, can in principle provide a better limiting magnitude and longer baselines, reaching perhaps 100 km. The current pace of space projects however makes it likely that large ground-based interferometers will be in use before space equivalents.
Keywords : telescope array, stellar interferometer, hign-resolution
observing, optical interferometric array, spherical telescope