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| Paper: |
Instruments and Missions in the 21st Century |
| Volume: |
435, Binaries – Key to Comprehension of the Universe |
| Page: |
17 |
| Authors: |
Tokovinin, A. |
| Abstract: |
Current and future techniques relevant to binary-star observations are reviewed. Binary-star science is not driving present and future instrumentation, but does benefit from it. Data mining opens new perspectives. Increased data flow and sample sizes call for a new approach to maintaining the catalogs, which otherwise will collapse. We discuss high-resolution and high-contrast imaging with adaptive optics, speckle interferometry, HST, and long-baseline interferometry. Perspectives of astrometry are mostly linked to GAIA mission, matched by substantial advances in the ground-based techniques. Precise radial velocities are of little use (and used little) for binary-star work, synoptic RV monitoring with dedicated robotic telescopes is much needed instead. The importance of following binaries in a systematic way is currently under-appreciated by the community. Modern techniques permit, for the first time, to obtain complete (un-biased) statistics of binary stars and higher hierarchies, advancing the star-formation theory and general astrophysics. |
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