Nearly a Decade of Groundbreaking Speckle Interferometry at the International Gemini Observatory

Steve B Howell^1*Clara Martinez-Vazquez²Elise Furlan³Nic Scott⁴Rachel Matson⁵Colin Littlefield^1,6Catherine Clark³Katie Lester⁷Zach hartman¹Davd Ciardi³Sarah Deveny^1,6

• ¹Ames Research Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Moffet Field, United States
• ²Gemini Observatory, Hawaiian Acres, Hawaii, United States
• ³NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States
• ⁴Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Colorado, United States
• ⁵United States Naval Observatory (USNO), Washington, District of Columbia, United States
• ⁶Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, Moffett Field, United States
• ⁷Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States

Since its inception, speckle interferometry has revolutionized high-resolution astronomical imaging, overcoming atmospheric challenges to achieve the diffraction limits of telescopes.Almost a decade ago, in 2018, a pair of speckle cameras -'Alopeke and Zorro -were installed at two of the largest apertures in the world, the twin 8.1-meter Gemini North and South telescopes in Hawai'i and Chile. Equipped with dual blue and red channels, 'Alopeke and Zorro deliver high-resolution imaging across the optical bandpass from 350 to 1000 nm, which has led to crucial discoveries in both stellar multiplicity and exoplanetary science. Furthermore, the broad and nonrestrictive access to these instruments, given by each Gemini Observatory partner and via the US NOIRLab open skies policy, has allowed the community to expand the applications of the instruments, supporting a wide range of scientific investigations from Solar System bodies, to morphological studies of stellar remnants and quasars, to evolved stars, to transient phenomena. This paper reviews the instrument technology and observational capabilities, and highlights key scientific contributions and discoveries of 'Alopeke and Zorro, emphasizing the enduring importance of speckle interferometry in advancing modern observational astronomy and expanding the frontiers of astronomical research.