SPHERE instrument

SPHERE instrument is a powerful Very Large Telescope (VLT) instrument developed by a European Southern Observatory (ESO) consortium led by the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM), in collaboration with the Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), the University of Geneva, and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy. The SPHERE instrument is designed to study the formation of planetary systems and the properties of exoplanets, particularly those similar to Jupiter and Saturn, in the vicinity of nearby stars like Alpha Centauri and Proxima Centauri. This instrument has been used in conjunction with other ESO telescopes, such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the New Technology Telescope (NTT), to conduct comprehensive studies of astronomical objects.

Introduction

The SPHERE instrument is a VLT instrument that has been operational since 2014, providing high-contrast imaging and spectroscopy capabilities to the astronomical community. It is designed to work in conjunction with other ESO instruments, such as the X-shooter and MUSE spectrographs, to study a wide range of astronomical phenomena, from the formation of stars and planetary systems to the properties of galaxies like the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxy. The SPHERE instrument has been used to study exoplanets like 55 Cancri e and HD 189733b, as well as brown dwarfs like 2M1207b and HR 8799b. This instrument has also been used in collaboration with other telescopes, such as the Hubble Space Telescope and the Kepler Space Telescope, to conduct exoplanet hunting and characterization studies.

Design_and_Construction

The SPHERE instrument is a complex system that consists of several subsystems, including a coronagraph to block the light from the central star, a pupil mapper to control the pupil of the telescope, and a spectrograph to analyze the light from the surrounding environment. The instrument is designed to work with the VLT Unit Telescopes, particularly Antu and Kueyen, and has been integrated with other ESO instruments, such as the NAOS and CONICA adaptive optics systems. The SPHERE instrument has been developed in collaboration with several institutions, including the University of Oxford, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA). The construction of the SPHERE instrument involved the participation of several companies, such as Thales Alenia Space and EADS Astrium, which provided critical components and expertise.

Operational_Principle

The SPHERE instrument operates by using a combination of adaptive optics and coronagraphy to suppress the light from the central star and reveal the surrounding environment. The instrument uses a deformable mirror to correct for atmospheric distortion and a coronagraphic mask to block the light from the star. The SPHERE instrument can operate in several modes, including polarimetric imaging and spectroscopy, to study the properties of exoplanets and disks around nearby stars like Beta Pictoris and Fomalhaut. This instrument has been used to study the atmospheres of exoplanets like WASP-12b and KELT-9b, as well as the properties of brown dwarfs like Luhman 16 and WISE 0855−0714. The SPHERE instrument has also been used in conjunction with other ESO instruments, such as the VISIR and CRIRES spectrographs, to conduct comprehensive studies of astronomical objects.

Scientific_Objectives

The primary scientific objectives of the SPHERE instrument are to study the formation and evolution of planetary systems and to characterize the properties of exoplanets and disks around nearby stars. The instrument is designed to address several key questions in astronomy, including the formation of gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn, the properties of super-Earths like Kepler-452b, and the detection of biosignatures in the atmospheres of exoplanets like TRAPPIST-1e. The SPHERE instrument has been used to study the properties of protoplanetary disks around young stars like HL Tau and TW Hydrae, as well as the properties of debris disks around mature stars like Vega and Fomalhaut. This instrument has also been used in collaboration with other telescopes, such as the James Webb Space Telescope and the Giant Magellan Telescope, to conduct comprehensive studies of astronomical objects.

Observational_Results

The SPHERE instrument has produced several notable observational results, including the detection of exoplanets like HD 95086b and K2-18b, as well as the characterization of disks around nearby stars like Beta Pictoris and AU Microscopii. The instrument has also been used to study the properties of brown dwarfs like 2M1207b and HR 8799b, as well as the properties of asteroid belts around mature stars like Vega and Fomalhaut. The SPHERE instrument has been used in conjunction with other ESO instruments, such as the X-shooter and MUSE spectrographs, to conduct comprehensive studies of astronomical objects. This instrument has also been used in collaboration with other telescopes, such as the Hubble Space Telescope and the Kepler Space Telescope, to conduct exoplanet hunting and characterization studies. The SPHERE instrument has been recognized for its contributions to astronomy with several awards, including the European Astronomical Society (EAS) Mercury Prize and the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) Group Achievement Award.

Category:Astronomical instruments