Differential Astrometry of Sub-arcsecond Scale Binaries at the Palomar Testbed Interferometer

We have used the Palomar Testbed Interferometer to perform very high precision differential astrometry on the 0.25 arcsecond separation binary star HD 171779. In 70 minutes of observation we achieve a measurement uncertainty of ≈ 9 micro-arcseconds in one axis, consistent with theoretical expectations. Nightto-night repeatability over four nights is at the level of 16 micro-arcseconds. This method of very-narrow-angle astrometry may be extremely useful for searching for planets with masses as small as 0.5 MJup around a previously neglected class of stars – so-called “speckle binaries.” It will also provide measurements of stellar parameters such as masses and distances, useful for constraining stellar models at the 10 level. Subject headings: techniques:interferometric–techniques:astrometry