Keck Interferometer Science: Present and Future

Abstract

The Keck Interferometer is a NASA funded project developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the William M. Keck Observatory and the Michelson Science Center at the California Institute of Technology. A technical description of the interferometer is given elsewhere in this volume. This paper will discuss the science topics and goals of the Keck Interferometer project, including a brief description of the Key Science projects, the science projects executed to date and the current availability of the interferometer for new projects. The Keck Interferometer Project consists of the Keck-Keck Interferometer, which combines the two Keck lo-meter telescopes on an 85-meter baseline, and the Outrigger Telescopes Project, a proposal to add four to six 1.8-meter telescopes that would work in conjunction with the two Kecks.