ESPRESSO: A High Resolution Spectrograph for the Combined Coudé Focus of the VLT (original) (raw)

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

iM arcantonio 2 ,M .A breu 7 ,M .A ffolter 9 ,M .A liverti 6 ,C .A llende Prieto 3 , M. Amate 3 ,G .A vila 5 ,V .B aldini 2 ,P .B ristow 5 ,C .B roeg 9 ,R .C irami 2 ,J .C oelho 7 ,P .C onconi 6 ,I .

Data Analysis for Precision Spectroscopy: the ESPRESSO Case

2017

ESPRESSO is an extremely stable high-resolution spectrograph which is currently being developed for the ESO VLT. With its groundbreaking characteristics it is aimed to be a "science machine", i.e. a fully-integrated instrument to directly extract science information from the observations. In particular, ESPRESSO will be the first ESO instrument to be equipped with a dedicated tool for the analysis of data, the Data Analysis Software (DAS), consisting in a number of recipes to analyze both stellar and quasar spectra. Through the new ESO Reflex GUI, the DAS (which will implement new algorithms to analyze quasar spectra) is aimed to get over the shortcomings of the existing software providing multiple iteration modes and full interactivity with the data.

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

Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III, 2010

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.

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: 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@VLT – On-sky performance and first results

2020

ESPRESSO is the new high-resolution spectrograph of ESO's Very-Large Telescope (VLT). It was designed for ultra-high radial-velocity precision and extreme spectral fidelity with the aim of performing exoplanet research and fundamental astrophysical experiments with unprecedented precision and accuracy. It is able to observe with any of the four Unit Telescopes (UT) of the VLT at a spectral resolving power of 140,000 or 190,000 over the 378.2 to 788.7 nm wavelength range, or with all UTs together, turning the VLT into a 16-m diameter equivalent telescope in terms of collecting area, while still providing a resolving power of 70,000. We provide a general description of the ESPRESSO instrument, report on the actual on-sky performance, and present our Guaranteed-Time Observation (GTO) program with its first results. ESPRESSO was installed on the Paranal Observatory in fall 2017. Commissioning (on-sky testing) was conducted between December 2017 and September 2018. The instrument saw...

Direct Detection of extra-solar Planets with ESPRESSO

2013

Foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude by thanking both my supervisors for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to return to Astronomy by accepting to mentor me. Their professionalism and dedication is unmatched and I have a great deal to thank them for. I would like to thank my parents and the rest of my family for their continuous support. A big thanks goes towards my friends, in special my Porto family, regardless on where in the world you are, not only for keeping me sane but also many interesting discussions about this work. In particular, a special thanks goes to Diana Cunha who helped me countless times during this work.

The CODEX-ESPRESSO experiment: Cosmic dynamics, fundamental physics, planets and much more

Il Nuovo Cimento B, 2007

CODEX, a high resolution, super-stable spectrograph to be fed by the E-ELT, the most powerful telescope ever conceived, will for the first time provide the possibility of directly measuring the change of the expansion rate of the Universe with time and much more, from the variability of fundamental constants to the search for other earths. A study for the implementation at the VLT of a precursor of CODEX, dubbed ESPRESSO, is presently carried out by a collaboration including ESO, IAC, INAF, IoA Cambridge and Observatoire de Geneve. The present talk is focused on the cosmological aspects of the experiment.

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.