{"id":360,"date":"2025-12-15T16:39:59","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T16:39:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microstars.eu\/?page_id=360"},"modified":"2026-07-15T15:01:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T15:01:31","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/microstars.eu\/index.php\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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An ERC Starting Grant for young researchers, worth 2.5 million euros<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The MicroStars project aims to push the boundaries of optical astronomy, enabling humanity to observe stars with a level of detail never achieved before.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Recent advancements in astronomical observation technologies are poised to revolutionize our understanding of the processes that formed the planets of the Solar System and to enable imaging of stellar surfaces and environments with unprecedented precision. The MicroStars project seeks to contribute to this transformation by demonstrating\u2014through the technique of intensity interferometry\u2014that Cherenkov telescopes, traditionally used for gamma-ray astronomy, can also be employed to create the largest virtual optical telescope ever conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


This innovative approach could overcome the intrinsic limitations of current optical interferometers, offering the possibility of resolving fine details on the surfaces of nearby stars and studying their immediate surroundings with unmatched clarity. By extending the capabilities of existing instruments and integrating novel interferometric methods, MicroStars has the potential to open a new era in both stellar and planetary formation research, deepening our knowledge of the physical processes that shape planetary systems and the stars that host them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Publications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Performance and first measurements of the MAGIC stellar intensity interferometer<\/a> (MAGIC Collaboration, 2024)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

S Abe, J Abhir, V A Acciari, A Aguasca-Cabot, I Agudo, T Aniello, S Ansoldi, L A Antonelli, A Arbet Engels, C Arcaro<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Optical intensity interferometry observations using the MAGIC Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes<\/a> (MAGIC Collaboration, 2019)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

V A Acciari, M I Bernardos, E Colombo, J L Contreras, J Cortina, A De Angelis, C Delgado, C D\u00edaz, D Fink, M Mariotti<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Update on the performance of the MAGIC Intensity Interferometer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

V A Acciari, M I Bernardos, E Colombo, J L Contreras, J Cortina, A De Angelis, C Delgado, C D\u00edaz, D Fink, M Mariotti<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Performance of MAGIC stellar intensity interferometer and expansion to MAGIC + CTAO-LST1 stellar intensity interferometer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alejo Cifuentes, V. A. Acciari, F. Barnes, G. Chon, E. Colombo, J. Cortina, C. Delgado, C. D\u00edaz, M. Fiori, D. Fink, T. Hassan, I. Jim\u00e9nez Mart\u00ednez, I. Jorge, D. Kerszberg, E. Lyard, G. Mart\u00ednez, R. Mirzoyan, M. Polo, N. Produit, J. J. Rodr\u00edguez-V\u00e1zquez, P. Saha, T. Schweizer, D. Strom, R. Walter, C. W. Wunderlich<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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A Butterfly\u2019s Eye Camera for Intensity Interferometry with Cherenkov Telescopes<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

J. Cortina, A. Cifuentes Santos, T. Hassan, and F. Fr\u00edas Garc\u00eda-Lago<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Tarek Hassan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Principal Researcher<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

CIEMAT<\/p>\n\n\n\n