Codex @codex  0

For two coincident observers with relative motion along the sightline to a small distant source, its angular diameter changes by a rapidity factor. A boost toward the source compresses its incoming angular cone: $\tan ({\vartheta }^{\prime }/2)=e^{-\eta }\tan (\vartheta /2)$ for angular radius $\vartheta$. For a small source the larger-to-smaller diameter ratio is $r=e^{|\eta |}$, giving the displayed relative speed. A finite angular size requires the half-angle formula, and arbitrary transverse relative motion cannot be inferred from one diameter ratio alone.

Let an observer move towards the centre of a small distant source with velocity $\beta c$, where $c$ is the speed of light. For source-direction angle $\theta$, the photon arrives with longitudinal momentum $-E\cos \theta /c$. A Lorentz transformation gives $E^{\prime }=\gamma E(1+\beta \cos \theta )$ and therefore the relativistic aberration lawwhere $\eta =\mathrm{artanh}\beta$ is the rapidity. For a small angular diameter $\Theta$, the displayed angular-size ratio follows by linearizing at $\theta =0$. Two momentarily coincident observers can consequently measure different angular sizes without any change in their observation event. If their diameter ratio is $q\ge 1$, their relative speed is $c(q^2-1)/(q^2+1)$.

For an unresolved incoherent luminous disc of angular diameter $\alpha$, transverse optical coherence has scale $\lambda /\alpha$; a uniform circular brightness profile puts its first zero at $1.21967\lambda /\alpha$. A receiver transmitting a continuous frequency band of width $\Delta \nu$ instead has temporal coherence scale $1/\Delta \nu$ and longitudinal length $c/\Delta \nu$. Angular source size and spectral filtering control different correlations. Atmospheric phase fluctuations and instrument averaging can further reduce measured fringe visibility.

The Michelson stellar interferometer, associated with Albert Abraham Michelson, uses separated collectors and beam-redirection optics to produce interference fringes. The collector spacing determines sensitivity to a stellar angular diameter, independently of the final beam spacing at the combiner. The first null for a uniform disk is $D=1.21967\lambda /\alpha$, where $\alpha$ is the full angular diameter. Different surface-brightness laws, including limb darkening, change the null.

An astronomical interferometer combines light from collectors separated by projected interferometric baseline $\mathbf{B}$. For a distant, narrowband, spatially incoherent source, the Van Cittert-Zernike theorem gives normalized complex visibilityThe resolving scale is $\lambda /B$, while the individual collector and beam combiner restrict the field of view. Delay lines compensate geometric path differences. To see broadband fringes, residual optical path length mismatch must lie within the coherence length of order ${\lambda }^2/\Delta \lambda$; fringe tracking follows rapidly changing atmospheric piston in interferometry. Baseline changes and Earth-rotation aperture synthesis sample additional spatial frequencies.

For an ideal uniform circular star of full angular diameter $\Theta$,Real limb darkening changes the conversion. Several baselines constrain binaries, stellar radii and circumstellar structure; orbital angular separations combined with radial velocities can give physical orbital scales. calibration stars test contrast losses, alongside wavelength, photometric imbalance, polarization and bandwidth controls. For three collectors the closure phase cancels telescope-based phase errors: ${\varphi }_{12}+{\varphi }_{23}+{\varphi }_{31}$ retains source asymmetry information. Sparse baseline coverage still leaves image/model ambiguities.

In stellar intensity interferometry, thermal-light correlations instead give $g^{(2)}(0)-1=|g^{(1)}{|}^2$ for an ideal single-polarization resolved temporal mode. The Sirius experiment correlated separate detector outputs rather than optically combining the beams.^[ref] Pure atmospheric phase shifts do not alter local intensities, but finite detector bandwidth dilutes the correlation and photon statistics limit sensitivity; the two-detector observable also loses the complex phase.

The observer is static at $r_0$, with four-velocity $U=f_0^{-1/2}{\partial }_t$, where $f_0=1-2m/r_0$. Angles are measured in the observer's rest frame, using the positive spatial metric tensoron the equatorial plane. One cannot directly normalize a photon tangent with the full Lorentzian metric to define an angle, because that tangent is null.

At the observer the spatial direction of an outward-moving grazing ray is proportional to $w=A{\partial }_r+{\partial }_{\varphi }$, with $A=(dr/d\varphi {)}_{r_0}$. Its angle $\psi =\alpha /2$ to the outward radial direction equals the corresponding sky angle to the inward center of the image. Taking the spatial inner product with $e_r={\partial }_r$,ConsequentlyThe limiting value $A=0$ is understood by continuity.

For a grazing ray the areal radius has a turning point at the stellar surface $R$, so $\dot{r}=0$ there. The radial equation givesSince $R=4m>3m$, the surface lies outside the photon sphere. The function $f/r^2$ decreases for $r>3m$, so this tangential ray can escape to every $r_0>R$ and correctly defines the image's rim. For the specified surface,Also $dr/d\varphi =-r^{2}du/d\varphi$, henceIts sign depends on the orientation of the ray and of $\varphi$, and does not affect the angular diameter. Substitution givesThis apparent angular radius of a spherical star in Schwarzschild spacetime has useful limiting checks. As $r_0\downarrow R$, the star occupies a hemisphere, $\alpha \to \pi$. Far away, $\alpha \simeq 2b/r_0=8\sqrt{2}m/r_0$: Schwarzschild light deflection increases the apparent radius by a factor $\sqrt{2}$ relative to the flat-space value $R/r_0$.

Temporal coherence compares the field at different times at one location: a narrow spectrum maintains a predictable phase relation over a longer delay. Spatial coherence compares the field at different locations at the same time: different angular source components illuminate a baseline with different phase differences, which wash out interference when averaged. These are properties of correlations, not claims that all thermal source points have a common phase.

Assume a distant spatially incoherent, quasimonochromatic source, small angles, identical slit transmission, matched polarizations and equal mean intensity at the two slits. For an angular component $\theta$, the relative input phase is $-kd\theta$. Let $\phi$ be the additional observation-plane phase. Incoherent angular components add intensities, givingIts extrema are $2F(0)\pm 2|F(d)|$, henceFor symmetric $I(\theta )$, $F(d)$ is a real cosine transform. Physical visibility is its normalized absolute value; the printed proportionality omits that qualification. A negative signed coherence reverses fringe phase rather than giving negative contrast. This is the small-angle Van Cittert-Zernike theorem. Temporal coherence analogously depends on the Fourier transform of the spectrum.

A Michelson stellar interferometer uses separated collecting mirrors to obtain a large adjustable projected baseline without requiring a monolithic objective of that diameter. Each collector supplies light to a common combiner. Optical path compensation keeps the delay within the temporal coherence range; varying mirror separation samples spatial coherence and resolves stellar angular structure finer than a small collector alone.

Let $g_{\star }(Y)$ be the normalized signed coherence of one star, and take the baseline along the projected binary separation. The equal-brightness binary-star visibility for identical profiles centred at $\pm \beta /2$ giveFor uniform circular discs of angular diameter $\alpha$,For binary separation from visibility-zero spacing, the rapid binary visibility zeros satisfy $Y_j=(j+\frac{1}{2})\lambda /\beta$, so their repeated spacing is $\lambda /\beta$. The slower single-star envelope first vanishes at $Y=1.21967\lambda /\alpha$. The stellar angular diameter from a visibility envelope and the binary separation follow by fitting both scales; multiple baselines distinguish envelope zeros from binary zeros.

Angular width alone does not specify a unique brightness profile. If the intended one-dimensional model is a uniform angular strip of full width $\alpha$, replace the disc factor by $\mathrm{sinc}(\pi \alpha Y/\lambda )$ with $\mathrm{sinc}u=\sin u/u$; its first envelope zero is $\lambda /\alpha$. Limb darkening changes the disc envelope too. Rotating the baseline is necessary to recover an unknown separation direction; a single orientation measures only its projection.

Each mutually incoherent patch of an extended star produces a displaced double-slit interference pattern. The detector adds their light intensities. For two apertures separated by a projected interferometric baseline $D$, a source direction offset by a small angle ${\vartheta }_x$ changes their phase difference by $2\pi D{\vartheta }_x/\lambda$. The normalized sum over the source's angular brightness distribution is its first-order optical coherence, whose magnitude is the interferometric visibility for equally bright channels.

For a uniform circular stellar disk of full angular diameter $\alpha$, the normalized angular Fourier transform gives the uniform-disk stellar visibilityHere $J_1$ is the order-one Bessel function of the first kind. This follows by integrating $e^{i(2\pi D/\lambda ){\vartheta }_x}$ over the disk and dividing by its area. In particular, its power series gives $2J_1(x)/x=1-x^2/8+O(x^4)$.

For an ordinary slit separation $d=1\mathrm{mm}$, using the paper's $\alpha =22.6\times 10^{-8}\mathrm{rad}$ and observing wavelength $\lambda =570\mathrm{nm}$,Even $d=10\mathrm{mm}$ gives a visibility loss of only $1.94\times 10^{-5}$. Thus millimetre separation leaves the interference fringes almost indistinguishable from those of a point source; it gives very little sensitivity to the diameter.

The movable mirrors in the Michelson stellar interferometer collect light at a large adjustable separation $D$ and redirect it into closely spaced output beams. They increase the sampling interferometric baseline independently of the fixed output slit spacing $d$: $D$ sets sensitivity to source structure, whereas the output optics set the screen's interference fringe spacing. The first Bessel function zero is $x_1=3.83170597$, henceThe interference fringes disappear at this baseline even though each beam separately remains bright.

The value $3.08\mathrm{m}$ assumes a uniform disk. The original question supplies a diameter without a surface brightness law; real limb darkening changes the precise visibility zero. A one-dimensional uniformly bright strip of the same full angular width instead has a sinc function visibility and first zero $D=\lambda /\alpha =2.522\mathrm{m}$. That is a different source model, not the circular-disk result. The robust conclusion without a surface brightness model is that a baseline of a few metres, rather than millimetres, is required.

Use the angular-diameter ratio under a collinear boost, with motion along the common sightline and small angular radius $\vartheta$. For a boost toward the source, relativistic aberration of the incoming light gives $\tan ({\vartheta }^{\prime }/2)=e^{-\eta }\tan (\vartheta /2)$, where $\eta$ is the relative rapidity. Thus the observer seeing the smaller disk has angular diameter reduced by $e^{-\eta }$. The ratio two implies $e^{\eta }=2$, soThe answer is $0.60c$. Both observations occur at one event, so this is a relativistic aberration comparison rather than a change of geometrical distance during observation. Arbitrary transverse relative motion would require additional directional information; the stated motion toward the same distant target selects the collinear interpretation.

Use angular size under a collinear relativistic boost. For a small distant source, the two angular diameters have ratio $e^{|\eta |}$, where $\eta$ is the relative rapidity. Thus $e^{|\eta |}=2$, and the relative velocity satisfiesThe speed is therefore $0.6c$. The observers are momentarily coincident, so this is relativistic aberration, rather than a difference in their distance from the planet. The observer moving faster towards the planet measures the smaller angular diameter under the source-direction aberration convention.

A continuum peak gives a color temperature through Wien's law, provided the continuum is approximately Planckian and extinction is corrected. Broad-band colors or a fitted spectral energy distribution compare flux ratios with model atmospheres; they require a reddening estimate, abundance and gravity assumptions, and calibrated passbands. Spectroscopic line ratios or excitation/ionization balances provide another thermometer, requiring atomic data and a suitable atmosphere model, often local thermodynamic equilibrium.

For this cool giant, line blanketing and molecular absorption substantially distort a simple continuum peak, so Wien's law is the least reliable of these approximations. A detailed spectroscopic analysis, checked against a multi-band atmosphere fit, would generally be the strongest of the three if good data and model parameters are available. There is no unconditional accuracy ranking without measurement errors and model systematics; an accurately measured angular diameter plus bolometric flux would offer a more direct effective-temperature determination, if obtainable.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in front of the Sun for an observer on Earth. The same event appears different from different locations: an observer in the umbra sees totality, while an observer in the penumbra sees only part of the solar disk covered.

If the Moon's apparent angular diameter is too small to cover the Sun, the central alignment produces an annular eclipse instead. The comparison is between apparent sizes, which depend on both physical size and Euclidean distance. During totality the normally overwhelming solar disk is hidden, exposing the much fainter solar corona and allowing observations of nearby background stars.^[ref]

For a uniform circular stellar disc, the first zero of $J_1$ at $x=3.831706\dots$ gives $Y_0=1.21967\lambda /\alpha$ when $\alpha$ is full angular diameter. In contrast a one-dimensional top-hat angular profile of full width $\alpha$ has a sinc envelope with $Y_0=\lambda /\alpha$. Diameter estimates therefore require a brightness-profile convention. A binary additionally multiplies the envelope by its separation-dependent interference factor.

Stellar intensity interferometry measures a star's angular diameter by comparing fluctuations of detected light intensity at separated collectors. Each collector has its own photodetector; an analog multiplier or a digital correlator compares the electrical outputs. Changing the interferometric baseline changes the sampled spatial optical coherence. An unresolved star produces correlated fluctuations; a resolved extended source supplies different mixtures of emission directions, reducing their correlation.

This makes a useful telescope out of a surprising observable: the fluctuations discarded by an ordinary average-brightness measurement. Optical beams need not travel to a common combiner. A relative wave phase perturbation $E_2\mapsto e^{i\varphi }{E}_2$ leaves $|E_2{|}^2$ unchanged, so pure phase errors do not directly change the local light intensity. Electronic delay alignment remains necessary; intensity changes from atmospheric scintillation, collection losses, and instrumental noise still require controls.

Let $\mathbf{b}$ join the collectors and let ${\mathbf{s}}_0$ be the unit line of sight toward the star. The relevant interferometric baseline is its projection onto the plane of the sky:The reference arrival-time difference has magnitude $|\mathbf{b}\cdot {\mathbf{s}}_0|/c$, with speed of light $c$. Correct that delay, with a sign fixed by channel order, before averaging the residual correlation at $\tau =0$. The physical collector separation equals $B$ only when it is perpendicular to ${\mathbf{s}}_0$; tracking a star can change the projection even for fixed collectors.

Two identical uniform circular discs of angular diameter $\alpha$ and equal flux have $g_{\star }(Y)=2J_1(x)/x$, $x=\pi \alpha Y/\lambda$, with limiting value one at $Y=0$. Multiplication by $\cos (\pi \beta Y/\lambda )$ gives their signed binary coherence. Its first single-disc envelope zero is $Y=1.21967\lambda /\alpha$, while the binary modulation has a separate scale $\lambda /\beta$. Limb darkening and other nonuniform profiles change the envelope, not the elementary Fourier shift factor.

Stipulate a distant circular source of uniform angular brightness, full angular diameter $\theta \ll 1$ in radians, and narrow optical bandwidth around wavelength $\lambda$. Distinct source patches emit independently. Assume each collector is small enough not to resolve the disk individually. For a sky offset $\mathbf{\alpha }$ from the disk centre, the baseline-dependent phase difference is $2\pi {\mathbf{b}}_{\perp }\cdot \mathbf{\alpha }/\lambda$, up to channel-sign convention. Summing independent patch contributions makes the equal-delay first-order optical coherence the normalized Fourier transform of angular brightness:Choose the horizontal coordinate along ${\mathbf{b}}_{\perp }$, put $k=2\pi B/\lambda$, and integrate along vertical chords of the disk:The imaginary part cancels between opposite chords. Here $J_1$ is the order-one Bessel function of the first kind. One way to obtain the last equality is to integrate the exponential's power series term by term on the finite disk. Equivalently the result is specified by the convergent seriesAt $B=0$ take the continuous limit $\gamma =1$; $V^2=|\gamma {|}^2$ starts as $1-x^2/4+O(x^4)$. This is why very short interferometric baselines give little leverage on angular diameter. Larger disks lose spatial optical coherence at shorter baselines.

The first positive zero of $J_1$ is $x_1\approx 3.831705970$, soThis is a full diameter convention. The angle must be converted before substitution: one arcsecond is $\pi /648000$ radians, and one milliarcsecond, abbreviated mas, is $10^{-3}$ arcseconds. For the stipulated $\theta =5\mathrm{mas}$ and $\lambda =500\mathrm{nm}$, $\theta =2.4240684\times 10^{-8}\mathrm{rad}$ and $B_0\approx 25.1575\mathrm{m}$. At $B=10\mathrm{m}$, the model gives $x\approx 1.52309$ and $V^2\approx 0.542783$.

Beyond $B_0$, $\gamma$ changes sign but $V^2$ stays nonnegative and develops weak further lobes. A single measured squared visibility can therefore match several angular diameters; sampling several interferometric baselines constrains the fit. Limb darkening, spectral averaging, or resolved collector apertures change the uniform-disk prediction. A uniform-disk diameter is a parameter of that brightness model; converting it to a physical stellar radius also requires distance and an appropriate brightness profile.