Probing micro-arcsec astrometry with NACO

Relative astrometric measurements with a precision far better than 1 mas (milli-arcsec) are commonly regarded as the domain of interferometry. Pioneering work by Pravdo & Shaklan (1996), made in the optical, reached a precision of 150 micro-arcsec in direct imaging but is ultimately limited by atmospheric turbulence and differential chromatic refraction (DCR) effects. Neuhaeuser et al. (2006, 2007) demonstrated that AO assisted observations with NACO in a near-infrared narrow band filter allow measurements with a precision of ~50 muas (micro-arsec) on a 0.6 arcsec binary within one hour and are unaffected by DCR effects. This opens new possibilities for astrometric detections of extrasolar planets and the determination of their true masses. We discuss here how to improve the measurements and address the necessary calibrations.Comment: To be published in the proceedings of the 2007 ESO Instrument Calibration Worksho

The Physics of turbulent and dynamically unstable Herbig-Haro jets

The overall properties of the Herbig-Haro objects such as centerline velocity, transversal profile of velocity, flow of mass and energy are explained adopting two models for the turbulent jet. The complex shapes of the Herbig-Haro objects, such as the arc in HH34 can be explained introducing the combination of different kinematic effects such as velocity behavior along the main direction of the jet and the velocity of the star in the interstellar medium. The behavior of the intensity or brightness of the line of emission is explored in three different cases : transversal 1D cut, longitudinal 1D cut and 2D map. An analytical explanation for the enhancement in intensity or brightness such as usually modeled by the bow shock is given by a careful analysis of the geometrical properties of the torus.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Spac