Direct detection and spectral characterization of extra-solar planets is one of the most
exciting but also one of the most challenging areas in modern astronomy. The challenge …

Context. In recent decades, direct imaging has confirmed the existence of substellar
companions (exoplanets or brown dwarfs) on wide orbits (> 10 au) around their host stars. In …

Context. The planetary system discovered around the young A-type HR 8799 provides a
unique laboratory to: a) test planet formation theories; b) probe the diversity of system …

Context. 51 Eridani b is an exoplanet around a young (20 Myr) nearby (29.4 pc) F0-type star,
which was recently discovered by direct imaging. It is one of the closest direct imaging …

The SPHERE (Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet Research) planet finder
instrument for ESO's VLT telescope, scheduled for first light in 2011, aims to detect giant …

In this paper, after briefly reviewing the theory of vectorial vortices, we describe our
technological approach to generating the necessary phase helix, and report results obtained …

Context. With a clear circular aperture, the vortex coronagraph perfectly cancels an on-axis
point source and offers a 0.9 or 1.75λ/D inner working angle for topological charge 2 or 4 …

Aims. We present the performance of the Integral Field Spectrograph (IFS) of SPHERE, the
high-contrast imager for the ESO VLT telescope designed to perform imaging and …

L'exoplanétologie est un domaine très actif de l'astronomie moderne avec des questions
encore ouvertes: comment les systèmes planétaires se forment-ils et évoluent-ils; pourquoi …

We have carried out high contrast imaging of 70 young, nearby B and A stars to search for
brown dwarf and planetary companions as part of the Gemini NICI Planet-Finding …