SPECKLE IMAGING OF BINARY STARS - USE OF RATIOS OF TWOFOLD PROBABILITY DENSITY-FUNCTIONS

The probability imaging technique applied to double stars speckle data is presented within title framework of a new approach: giving more di rectly the intensity ratio and relative position of the components. Th e twofold probability density function is used for this purpose. A the oretical model is developed, pointing out a relevant quantity deduced from the twofold probability density functions of the binary system an d a nearby reference star. A method using this quantity is proposed to reconstruct the binary system, together with a reference-less version of it. The practical implementation of the method is tested for limit ing cases and is improved by numerical simulations. Making use of the resulting procedure, intensity ratios and relative positions of the co mponents are obtained for three close binary stars: beta Del, Moai 1 = SAO 12917 and gamma Per.