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Benjamin Courtney-Barrer

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Benjamin Courtney-Barrer

Mr

 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7679-9686
20132026

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Biography

Ben combines years of hands-on observatory experience with leading development, from design to on-sky commissioning, of AO and interferometric systems at some of the world's largest observatories. In turn, Ben utilizes these cutting-edge facilities to study open astrophysical questions regarding the variability of evolved low-mass stars, which could hold secrets about fundamental stellar processes and exoplanet demographics

Research interests

Research interests

Benjamin’s research sits at the intersection of instrumentation and observational astrophysics. His main interests include:

  • High-contrast imaging and optical interferometry
  • Advanced wavefront sensing, particularly Zernike wavefront sensing
  • Ground-layer adaptive optics for wide-field astronomical imaging
  • Stellar variability and evolution, including long secondary periods in AGB and RGB stars
  • Astrophotonics and integrated photonic technologies for astronomical instrumentation

Student projects and opportunities

Benjamin welcomes enquiries from students interested in astronomical instrumentation, adaptive optics, interferometry, or stellar astrophysics. Current and emerging student project areas include:

Visible-light interferometry with STELLIM at the VLTI
STELLIM is an ambitious international effort to advance visible-light interferometry at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) in Chile through the deployment of several new, smaller telescopes. Its long-term aim is to push optical interferometry toward the kind of imaging capability achieved in radio astronomy, but on finer angular scales. This is technically challenging because optical interferometry operates at much shorter wavelengths, requiring extreme control of optical path length, phase stability, and light injection efficiency. Students may contribute to this effort through projects in beam combination, single-mode fiber injection, heterodyne metrology, and photonic technologies for next-generation interferometric instrumentation

Wide-field GLAO testbed development for ULTIMATE-Subaru
Students may contribute to the construction and validation of a laboratory testbed for the ULTIMATE-Subaru ground-layer (laser guide star) adaptive optics system. This work supports instrumentation development for the 8.2 m Subaru Telescope in Hawaii and is relevant to wide-field adaptive optics, wavefront sensing, and real-time control.

Integrated photonic wavefront sensing
This project explores how Zernike wavefront sensing concepts can be integrated into photonic circuits for compact and robust astronomical instruments. It combines adaptive optics, optical design, and photonics, with potential applications in both large ground-based telescopes and future space instrumentation.

Precision stellar interferometry with Asgard/Heimdallr at the VLTI
This project centres on Heimdallr, a new Australian-led instrument for the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) in Chile, the world’s leading optical/infrared interferometric facility. By combining light from up to four 8.2 m Unit Telescopes, the VLTI enables exceptionally sensitive and high-angular-resolution observations of stars and their environments. Students may contribute to intelligent data reduction, fringe tracking analysis, and precision calibration for this next-generation instrument, helping develop the tools needed to fully exploit one of the most powerful interferometric facilities in astronomy.

Long-period variability in evolved stars
Students may work on time-series and interferometric studies of long-period variables, including the origin of long secondary periods in evolved stars. This project connects stellar pulsation, binary interaction, and late-stage stellar evolution, using data from major international observing programs and surveys.

Students involved in these projects will have opportunities to contribute to active research connected to world-class astronomical facilities and international collaborations.

External positions

Research Fellow, Australian National University

1 Apr 2026 → 1 Jan 2027

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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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  • 17 Conference proceeding contribution
  • 12 Article
  • 2 Preprint

  • First light for the GRAVITY plus Adaptive Optics: Extreme adaptive optics for the Very Large Telescope Interferometer

    GRAVITY+ Collaboration, Abuter, R., Allouche, F., Bailet, C., Benisty, M., Berdeu, A., Berger, J.-P., Berio, P., Bigioli, A., Blanchard, C., Boebion, O., Bonnet, H., Bourdarot, G., Bourget, P., Brandner, W., Brulé, J., Burgos, P., Carbillet, M., Correia, C. & Courtney-Barrer, B. & 120 others, Curaba, S., Davies, R., Defrère, D., Delboulbé, A., Delplancke, F., Dembet, R., Drescher, A., Dubost, N., Eckart, A., Édouard, C., Eisenhauer, F., Esteras Otal, L., Fabricius, M., Feuchtgruber, H., Fédou, P., Finger, G., Förster Schreiber, N. M., Frahm, R., Garcia, E., Garcia, P., Garcia Lopez, R., Genzel, R., Gil, J. P., Gillessen, S., Gomes, T., Gonté, F., Gopinath, V., Gouvret, C., Graf, J., Guajardo, P., Guieu, S., Hackenberg, W., Hartl, M., Haubois, X., Haußmann, F., Henning, T., Hibon, P., Hönig, S., Horrobin, M., Houllé, M., Hubin, N., Taieb, I. I., Jochum, L., Jocou, L., Jost, A., Kammerer, J., Karl, L., Kaufer, A., Kern, P., Kervella, P., Kolb, J., Korhonen, H., Kreidberg, L., Krempl, P., Lacour, S., Lagarde, S., Lai, O., Lapeyrère, V., Laugier, R., Leal, V., Le Bouquin, J.-B., Leftley, J., Léna, P., Lopez, B., Lutz, D., Magnard, Y., Mang, F., Marcotto, A., Maurel, D., Mérand, A., Millour, F., Montarges, M., More, N., Morujão, N., Moulin, T., Nowacki, H., Nowak, M., Oberti, S., Ott, T., Pallanca, L., Patru, F., Paumard, T., Perraut, K., Perrin, G., Petrucci, P. O., Petrov, R., Pfuhl, O., Pourré, N., Rabien, S., Rau, C., Riquelme, M., Robbe-Dubois, S., Rochat, S., Salman, M., Sánchez-Bermúdez, J., Schubert, J., Scigliuto, J., Shchekaturov, P., Schuhler, N., Shangguan, J., Shimizu, T., Scheithauer, S., Soenke, C., Soulez, F., Stadler, E., Stadler, J., Straubmeier, C., Sturm, E., Subroweit, M., Sykes, C., Tacconi, L. J., Tristram, K. R. W., Uysal, S., von Fellenberg, S., Widmann, F., Wieprecht, E., Wiezorrek, E., Woillez, J., Yazici, S. & Zins, G., 1 Mar 2026, In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. 707, p. 1-25 25 p., A115.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

    Open Access
    File
    2   Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)

  • Interferometric view into RT Pav’s long secondary period: Binary versus oscillatory convective modes

    Courtney-Barrer, B., Haubois, X., Wood, P., Dionese, D., Decin, L., Paladini, C., Mellah, I. E., Defrère, D. & Ireland, M., Jan 2026, In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. 705, p. 1-15 15 p., A187.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

    Open Access
    File

  • Interferometric view into RT Pav's long secondary period. binary vs oscillatory convective modes

    Courtney-Barrer, B., Haubois, X., Wood, P., Dionese, D., Decin, L., Paladini, C., Mellah, I. E., Defrère, D. & Ireland, M., 2025, (Submitted) arXiv.org, (arXiv).

    Research output: Working paper › Preprint

  • A dynamical measure of the black hole mass in a quasar 11 billion years ago

    Abuter, R., Allouche, F., Amorim, A., Bailet, C., Berdeu, A., Berger, J.-P., Berio, P., Bigioli, A., Boebion, O., Bolzer, M.-L., Bonnet, H., Bourdarot, G., Bourget, P., Brandner, W., Cao, Y., Conzelmann, R., Comin, M., Clénet, Y., Courtney-Barrer, B. & Davies, R. & 107 others, Defrère, D., Delboulbé, A., Delplancke-Ströbele, F., Dembet, R., Dexter, J., de Zeeuw, P. T., Drescher, A., Eckart, A., Édouard, C., Eisenhauer, F., Fabricius, M., Feuchtgruber, H., Finger, G., Förster Schreiber, N. M., Garcia, P., Garcia Lopez, R., Gao, F., Gendron, E., Genzel, R., Gil, J. P., Gillessen, S., Gomes, T., Gonté, F., Gouvret, C., Guajardo, P., Guieu, S., Hackenberg, W., Haddad, N., Hartl, M., Haubois, X., Haußmann, F., Heißel, G., Henning, T., Hippler, S., Hönig, S. F., Horrobin, M., Hubin, N., Jacqmart, E., Jocou, L., Kaufer, A., Kervella, P., Kolb, J., Korhonen, H., Lacour, S., Lagarde, S., Lai, O., Lapeyrère, V., Laugier, R., Le Bouquin, J.-B., Leftley, J., Léna, P., Lewis, S., Liu, D., Lopez, B., Lutz, D., Magnard, Y., Mang, F., Marcotto, A., Maurel, D., Mérand, A., Millour, F., More, N., Netzer, H., Nowacki, H., Nowak, M., Oberti, S., Ott, T., Pallanca, L., Paumard, T., Perraut, K., Perrin, G., Petrov, R., Pfuhl, O., Pourré, N., Rabien, S., Rau, C., Riquelme, M., Robbe-Dubois, S., Rochat, S., Salman, M., Sanchez-Bermudez, J., Santos, D. J. D., Scheithauer, S., Schöller, M., Schubert, J., Schuhler, N., Shangguan, J., Shchekaturov, P., Shimizu, T. T., Sevin, A., Soulez, F., Spang, A., Stadler, E., Sternberg, A., Straubmeier, C., Sturm, E., Sykes, C., Tacconi, L. J., Tristram, K. R. W., Vincent, F., von Fellenberg, S., Uysal, S., Widmann, F., Wieprecht, E., Wiezorrek, E., Woillez, J. & Zins, G., 14 Mar 2024, In: Nature. 627, 8003, p. 281-285 17 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

    Open Access
    File
    57   Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)
    2 Downloads (Pure)

  • Baldr: a Zernike wavefront sensor for VLTI/Asgard

    Courtney-Barrer, B., Robertson, G., Taras, A., Bernard, J. T., McGuinness, G., Crous, F., Tuthill, P., N’Diaye, M., Langford, C., Cvetojevic, N., Defrère, D., Kraus, S., Martinache, F., Martinod, M.-A. & Ireland, M., 27 Aug 2024, Adaptive Optics Systems IX. Jackson, K. J., Schmidt, D. & Vernet, E. (eds.). Bellingham, Washington: SPIE, p. 130971O-1-130971O-14 14 p. 130971O. (Proceedings of SPIE; vol. 13097).

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference proceeding contribution

View all 31 research outputs