Circumstellar matter studied by spectrally-resolved interferometry

Abstract

This paper describes some generalities about spectro-interferometry and the role it has played in the last decade for the better understanding of circumstellar matter. I provide a small history of the technique and its origins, and recall the basics of differential phase and its central role for the recent discoveries. I finally provide a small set of simple interpretations of differential phases for specific astrophysical cases, and intend to provide a "cookbook" for the other cases.