First light for GRAVITY Wide
Astronomy & Astrophysics EDP Sciences 665 (2022) A75-A75
Authors:
R Abuter, F Allouche, A Amorim, C Bailet, M Bauböck, J-P Berger, P Berio, A Bigioli, O Boebion, ML Bolzer, H Bonnet, G Bourdarot, P Bourget, W Brandner, Y Clénet, B Courtney-Barrer, Y Dallilar, R Davies, D Defrère, A Delboulbé, F Delplancke, R Dembet, PT de Zeeuw, A Drescher, A Eckart
Abstract:
More than a century ago, Albert Einstein presented his general theory of
gravitation (GR) to the Prussian Academy of Sciences. One of the predictions of
the theory is that not only particles and objects with mass, but also the
quanta of light, photons, are tied to the curvature of space-time, and thus to
gravity. There must be a critical compactness, above which photons cannot
escape. These are black holes (henceforth BH). It took fifty years after the
theory was announced before possible candidate objects were identified by
observational astronomy. And another fifty years have passed, until we finally
have in hand detailed and credible experimental evidence that BHs of 10 to
10^10 times the mass of the Sun exist in the Universe. Three very different
experimental techniques, but all based on Michelson interferometry or
Fourier-inversion spatial interferometry have enabled the critical experimental
breakthroughs. It has now become possible to investigate the space-time
structure in the vicinity of the event horizons of BHs. We briefly summarize
these interferometric techniques, and discuss the spectacular recent
improvements achieved with all three techniques. Finally, we sketch where the
path of exploration and inquiry may go on in the next decades.Comment: 50 pages, accepted to The Astronomy and Astrophysics Revie
