Thermal infrared imaging with LBTI's LMIRCAM and NOMIC

The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) is a NASA-funded instrument of the LBT designed for high-sensitivity, high-contrast, and high-resolution infrared (1.5-13 ?m) imaging. To carry out a wide range of high-spatial resolution observations, it can combine the two AO-corrected 8.4-m apertures of the LBT in various ways including direct (non-interferometric) imaging, coronagraphy (APP and AGPM), Fizeau imaging, non-redundant aperture masking, and nulling interferometry. It also has broadband, narrowband, and spectrally dispersed capabilities. In this talk, I review the current performance of the system that includes a near-infrared phasing camera, a 1-5 ?m camera (called LMIRCam), and an 8-13 ?m camera (called NOMIC). Then, I present the results of its two key surveys on nearby young exoplanets (LEECH) and exozodiacal disks (HOSTS). I end this talk by presenting several instrumental upgrades that are currently underway to improve and expand the capabilities.