Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer: Long-Baseline Interferometric Snapshot Imaging in New Mexico

The Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer (MROI) is currently under construction in central New Mexico and is anticipating first fringes later this year. When completed MROI is anticipated to be the most efficient long-baseline optical interferometer in the world, capable of making many dozens of high-resolution snapshot images nightly using a 10-telescope optical/near-IR movable telescope array. Our key science mission is based on three main areas: active galactic nuclei and their immediate surroundings, young stellar objects at various evolutionary stages, and a plethora of stellar astrophysics processes from mass loss and mass transfer, to binary orbits and stellar pulsations. Funding is via a cooperative agreement with AFRL as we are investigating imaging of objects in Geo orbit in addition to the astrophysics mission. The majority of the facility is being designed and built by a collaboration between New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and the University of Cambridge, while the telescope mounts are being built by AMOS (Belgium) and the enclosures by the EIE Group (Italy). An overview of MROI’s science capabilities, status of the deployment of the facility, and our plans for operations will be presented.

This material is based on research sponsored by Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) under agreement number FA9453-22-2-0040.