Jacob Isbell, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Arizona’s Department of Astronomy, has been awarded nearly $1 million from the National Science Foundation to lead the development of a pioneering optical instrument for the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). The new instrument, named the LBT Interferometer Visible Extension (LIVE), will dramatically enhance the telescope’s visible-light imaging capabilities, enabling scientists to observe the universe at an unprecedented resolution.
The grant is a notable achievement, as it is exceptionally rare for a postdoctoral scholar to secure this level of federal funding as a principal investigator. Isbell’s selection highlights both his scientific promise and the university’s commitment to empowering early-career researchers.
“LIVE is an international collaboration that will take proven techniques… and extend them into the visible-light regime, opening up a new view of the universe,” Isbell stated.
The instrument will be integrated into the LBT Interferometer, a strategic suite led by co-investigator and Steward Observatory associate astronomer Steve Ertel. By using interferometry to combine the light from LBT’s twin 8.4-meter mirrors, LIVE will function as a single telescope with an effective 28.8-meter aperture. This technology will yield an extreme resolution down to 4–5 milliarcseconds, establishing LIVE as a critical pathfinder for the nation’s forthcoming Extremely Large Telescopes.
This advanced capability will allow researchers to image fine structures in protoplanetary disks where planets are born, detect changes on moons like Io and Europa, and map the dynamic environments around supermassive black holes.
“Projects like LIVE help us confront some of the most profound questions in science—how stars live and die, how planets form, and where life might exist beyond Earth,” said Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, the university’s senior vice president for research and partnerships.
The international project, which includes partners in Germany, Italy, and Mexico, will also provide immersive, hands-on training in adaptive optics, interferometry, and optical engineering for undergraduate and graduate students. This focus bridges foundational research with educational opportunities, preparing the next generation of scientists while advancing discovery.
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