ESPRESSO: the Echelle spectrograph for rocky exoplanets and stable spectroscopic observations (original) (raw)

ESPRESSO — An Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky Exoplanets Search and Stable Spectroscopic Observations

2013

The main scientific drivers for ESPRESSO are the search and characterisation of rocky exoplanets in the habitable zone of quiet, nearby G to M dwarf stars and the analysis of the variability of fundamental physical constants. As an ultrastable highresolution spectrograph however, ESPRESSO will allow new frontiers to be explored in most domains of astrophys ics. The project passed its final design review in May 2013 and has entered the manufacturing phase. ESPRESSO will be installed at the Paranal Observatory in 2016 and is planned to begin operations by the end of that year.

ESPRESSO: the Echelle spectrograph for rocky exoplanets and stable spectroscopic observations

2010

ESPRESSO, the Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky Exoplanets and Stable Spectroscopic Observations, will combine the efficiency of modern echelle spectrograph design with extreme radial-velocity precision. It will be installed on ESO's VLT in order to achieve a gain of two magnitudes with respect to its predecessor HARPS, and the instrumental radialvelocity precision will be improved to reach cm/s level. Thanks to its characteristics and the ability of combining incoherently the light of 4 large telescopes, ESPRESSO will offer new possibilities in various fields of astronomy. The main scientific objectives will be the search and characterization of rocky exoplanets in the habitable zone of quiet, nearby G to M-dwarfs, and the analysis of the variability of fundamental physical constants. We will present the ambitious scientific objectives, the capabilities of ESPRESSO, and the technical solutions of this challenging project.

ESPRESSO on VLT: An Instrument for Exoplanet Research

Handbook of Exoplanets

ESPRESSO (Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky Exoplanets and Stable Spectroscopic Observations) is a VLT ultra-stable high resolution spectrograph that will be installed in Paranal Observatory in Chile at the end of 2017 and offered to the community by 2018. The spectrograph will be located at the Combined-Coudé Laboratory of the VLT and will be able to operate with one or (simultaneously) several of the four 8.2 m Unit Telescopes (UT) through four optical Coudé trains. Combining efficiency and extreme spectroscopic precision, ESPRESSO is expected to gaining about two magnitudes with respect to its predecessor HARPS. We aim at improving the instrumental radial-velocity precision to reach the 10 cm s −1 level, thus opening the possibility to explore new frontiers in the search for Earth-mass exoplanets in the habitable zone of quiet, nearby G to M-dwarfs. ESPRESSO will be certainly an important development step towards high-precision ultra-stable spectrographs on the next generation of giant telescopes such as the E-ELT.

ESPRESSO: The next European exoplanet hunter

Astronomische Nachrichten, 2014

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ESPRESSO: A Rocky Exoplanet Hunter at the VLT

ESPRESSO is a new high resolution, highly stable spectrograph for the VLT. It will inherit and enhance most capabilities of HARPS and UVES, combining the efficiency of modern echelle spectrograph design with extreme stability for unprecedented radial-velocity precision. The main scientific objectives will be the detection and characterization of rocky exoplanets in the habitable zone of quiet, nearby G to M-dwarfs, and the analysis of the variability of fundamental physical constants, but many additional science cases will benefit from its highly stable spectroscopic observations. The facility will be installed on ESO's VLT in order to achieve a gain of two magnitudes with respect to its predecessor HARPS, and the instrumental radial velocity precision will be improved to reach cm/s level. Furthermore, it will be located at the combined Coudé focus of the VLT and may be linked to any of the four UT telescopes, enabling a great flexibility and an efficient use of telescope time. ...

ESPRESSO: the ultimate rocky exoplanets hunter for the VLT

Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy IV, 2012

ESPRESSO, the VLT rocky exoplanets hunter, will combine the efficiency of modern echelle spectrograph with extreme radial-velocity precision. It will be installed at Paranal on ESO's VLT in order to achieve a gain of two magnitudes with respect to its predecessor HARPS, and the instrumental radial-velocity precision will be improved to reach 10 cm/s level. We have constituted a Consortium of astronomical research institutes to fund, design and build ESPRESSO on behalf of and in collaboration with ESO, the European Southern Observatory. The project has passed the preliminary design review in November 2011. The spectrograph will be installed at the so-called "Combined Coudé Laboratory" of the VLT, it will be linked to the four 8.2 meters Unit Telescopes (UT) through four optical "Coudé trains" and will be operated either with a single telescope or with up to four UTs. In exchange of the major financial and human effort the building Consortium will be awarded with guaranteed observing time (GTO), which will be invested in a common scientific program. Thanks to its characteristics and the ability of combining incoherently the light of 4 large telescopes, ESPRESSO will offer new possibilities in many fields of astronomy. Our main scientific objectives are, however, the *denis.megevand@unige.ch; phone 0041 22 3792353; fax 0041 22 3792205; www.unige.ch/sciences/astro search and characterization of rocky exoplanets in the habitable zone of quiet, near-by G to M-dwarfs, and the analysis of the variability of fundamental physical constants. In this paper, we present the ambitious scientific objectives, the capabilities of ESPRESSO, the technical solutions for the system and its subsystems, enlightening the main differences between ESPRESSO and its predecessors. The project aspects of this facility are also described, from the consortium and partnership structure to the planning phases and milestones.

Optical design of the ESPRESSO spectrograph at VLT

Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering, 2010

ESPRESSO, a very high-resolution, high-efficiency, ultra-high stability, fiber-fed, cross-dispersed echelle spectrograph located in the Combined-Coudè focus of the VLT, has been designed to detect exo-planets with unprecedented radial velocity accuracies of 10 cm/sec over 20 years period. To increase spectral resolution, an innovative pupil slicing technique has been adopted, based onto free-form optics. Anamorphism has been added to increase resolution while keeping the physical size of the echelle grating within reasonable limits. Anamorphic VPH grisms will help to decrease detector size, while maximizing efficiency and inter-order separation. Here we present a summary of the optical design of the spectrograph and of expected performances.

ESPRESSO: Projecting a rocky exoplanet hunter for the VLT

Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering, 2010

ESPRESSO is a high-resolution, highly stable spectrograph for the VLT. It will inherit and enhance most capabilities from HARPS and UVES, combining both stability and efficiency. The main science driver will be the detection and characterization of Earth-like planets, but many additional science cases will benefit from its highly stable spectroscopic observations. The facility will be installed at the combined Coudé focus of the VLT and may be linked with any of the four UT telescopes, enabling thus a great flexibility for the efficient use of telescope time. This particularity makes the interface with the VLT more complex than for an instrument fed by a single telescope. It impacts on the complexity of the relationship between the consortium providing the instrument and ESO, the customer. The targeted high RV accuracy requires very high performances in stability and resolution, which in turn require adequate technical solutions at several levels. This paper describes the instrument system and subsystems, enlightening the most valuable differences between ESPRESSO and it's predecessors, the details of the project, entering now the design phases, the ESPRESSO consortium, composed of Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swiss institutes, and the relationship between the consortium and ESO.