RISTRETTO: reflected-light exoplanet spectroscopy at the diffraction limit of the VLT

18 July 2024 RISTRETTO: reflected-light exoplanet spectroscopy at the diffraction limit of the VLT

Proceedings Volume 13096, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy X; 130961I (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3020142
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2024, Yokohama, Japan

Abstract

RISTRETTO is a visible high-resolution spectrograph fed by an extreme adaptive optics (AO) system, to be proposed as a visitor instrument on ESO VLT. The main science goal of RISTRETTO is to pioneer the detection and atmospheric characterisation of exoplanets in reflected light, in particular the temperate rocky planet Proxima b. RISTRETTO will be able to measure albedos and detect atmospheric features in a number of exoplanets orbiting nearby stars for the first time. It will do so by combining a high-contrast AO system working at the diffraction limit of the telescope to a high-resolution spectrograph, via a 7-spaxel integral-field unit (IFU) feeding single-mode fibers. Further science cases for RISTRETTO include the study of accreting protoplanets such as PDS70b/c through spectrally-resolved H-alpha emission, and spatially-resolved studies of Solar System objects such as icy moons and the ice giants Uranus and Neptune. The project is in the manufacturing phase for the spectrograph sub-system, and the preliminary design phase for the AO front-end. Specific developments for RISTRETTO include a novel coronagraphic IFU combining a phase-induced amplitude apodizer (PIAA) to a 3D-printed microlens array feeding a bundle of single-mode fibers. It also features an XAO system with a dual wavefront sensor aiming at high robustness and sensitivity, including to pupil fragmentation. RISTRETTO is a pathfinder instrument in view of similar developments at the ELT, in particular the SCAO-IFU mode of ELT-ANDES and the future ELT-PCS instrument.

Conference Presentation

(2024) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Citation Download Citation

Christophe Lovis, Nicolas Blind, Bruno Chazelas, Muskan Shinde, Maddalena Bugatti, Nathanaël Restori, Isaac Dinis, Ludovic Genolet, Ian Hughes, Michaël Sordet, Robin Schnell, Samuel Rihs, Adrien Crausaz, Martin Turbet, Nicolas Billot, Thierry Fusco, Benoît Neichel, Jean-François Sauvage, Pablo Santos Diaz, Mathilde Houelle, Joshua Blackman, Audrey Lanotte, Jonas Kühn, Janis Hagelberg, Olivier Guyon, Patrice Martinez, Alain Spang, Christoph Mordasini, David Ehrenreich, Brice-Olivier Demory, and Emeline Bolmont "RISTRETTO: reflected-light exoplanet spectroscopy at the diffraction limit of the VLT", Proc. SPIE 13096, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy X, 130961I (18 July 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3020142

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