Adaptive Optics Simulations for Imaging with the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer: a First Application

In this contribution we present a first application of the ongoing numerical simulations that are carried out in order to study the adaptive optics (AO) correction and the subsequent imaging post-processing when observing with the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) interferometer. The simulation tool used as a starting point for this study is the software package CAOS 2.0 (Code for Adaptive Optics Systems, version 2.0), for its AO-simulation capabilities and its modular structure. It is used here in order to generate the turbulence-corrupted and subsequently adaptive-opticscorrected interferometric point-spread functions corresponding to the simultaneous observation of both a scientific object and a reference star, for three parallactic angles corresponding to three observation runs during the night. The obtained data are therefore used as the inputs of a multiple deconvolution method planned for imaging with the LBT interferometer. As an example, we have simulated the observation, in the R-band, of a Betelgeuse-like stellar object of 15th magnitude, 30 mas diameter, and with a 3 mas bright spot, under two different conditions of turbulence and AO-correction (leading to Strehl ratios of ~0.15 and -0.45, respectively). Final results are found to be very encouraging.