SPICES (Spectro-Polarimetric Imaging and Characterization of Exoplanetary Systems) was proposed in 2010 for a five-year M-class mission in the context of ESA Cosmic Vision. Its purpose is to image ...and characterize long-period extrasolar planets located at several AUs (0.5-10 AU) from nearby stars (<25 pc) with masses ranging from a few Jupiter masses down to super-Earths (~2 Earth radii, ~10 M⊕), possibly habitable. In addition, circumstellar disks as faint as a few times the zodiacal light in the Solar System can be studied. SPICES is based on a 1.5-m off-axis telescope and can perform spectro-polarimetric measurements in the visible (450 - 900 nm) at a spectral resolution of about 40. This paper summarizes the top science program and the choices made to conceive the instrument. The performance is illustrated for a few emblematic cases.
SPICES (Spectro-Polarimetric Imaging and Characterization of Exoplanetary Systems) is a five-year M-class mission proposed to ESA Cosmic Vision. Its purpose is to image and characterize long-period ...extrasolar planets and circumstellar disks in the visible (450–900 nm) at a spectral resolution of about 40 using both spectroscopy and polarimetry. By 2020/2022, present and near-term instruments will have found several tens of planets that SPICES will be able to observe and study in detail. Equipped with a 1.5 m telescope, SPICES can preferentially access exoplanets located at several AUs (0.5–10 AU) from nearby stars (<25 pc) with masses ranging from a few Jupiter masses to Super Earths (∼2 Earth radii, ∼10 M
⊕
) as well as circumstellar disks as faint as a few times the zodiacal light in the Solar System.
Context: Circumstellar debris disks provide insight into the formation and early evolution of planetary systems. Resolved belts in particular help to locate planetesimals in exosystems, and can hint ...at the presence of disk-sculpting exoplanets. Aims: We study the circumstellar environment of HD 112810 (HIP 63439), a mid-F type star in the Sco-Cen association with a significant infrared excess indicating the presence of a circumstellar debris disk. Methods: We collected five high-contrast observations of HD 112810 with VLT/SPHERE. We identified a debris disk in scattered light, and found that the debris signature is robust over a number of epochs and a variety of reduction techniques. We modelled the disk, accounting for self-subtraction and assuming that it is optically thin. Results: We find a single-belt debris disk, with a radius of 118\(\pm\)9au and an inclination angle of ${75.7}^{+1.1}_{-1.3}$$\deg\(. This is in good agreement with the constraints from SED modelling and from a partially-resolved ALMA image of the system. No planets are detected, though planets below the detection limit (\)\sim\(2.6M\)_\textrm{J}$ at a projected separation of 118au) could be present and could have contributed to sculpting the ring of debris. Conclusions: HD 112810 adds to the growing inventory of debris disks imaged in scattered light. The disk is faint, but the radius and the inclination of the disk are promising for follow-up studies of the dust properties.
We image with unprecedented spatial resolution and sensitivity disk features that could be potential signs of planet-disk interaction. Two companion candidates have been claimed in the disk around ...the young Herbig Ae/Be star HD100546. Thus, this object serves as an excellent target for our investigation of the natal environment of giant planets. We exploit the power of extreme adaptive optics operating in conjunction with the new high-contrast imager SPHERE to image HD100546 in scattered light. We obtain the first polarized light observations of this source in the visible (with resolution as fine as 2 AU) and new H and K band total intensity images that we analyze with the Pynpoint package. The disk shows a complex azimuthal morphology, where multiple scattering of photons most likely plays an important role. High brightness contrasts and arm-like structures are ubiquitous in the disk. A double-wing structure (partly due to ADI processing) resembles a morphology newly observed in inclined disks. Given the cavity size in the visible (11 AU), the CO emission associated to the planet candidate 'c' might arise from within the circumstellar disk. We find an extended emission in the K band at the expected location of 'b'. The surrounding large-scale region is the brightest in scattered light. There is no sign of any disk gap associated to 'b'.
The activity of pefloxacin against Rickettsia conorii and R. rickettsii was determined by several methods. The mean survival time of embryonated eggs infected with R. conorii was increased by ...pefloxacin 50 micrograms/egg; plaque formation in Vero cells was inhibited by 1 mg/l. In a microplate assay, the MIC of pefloxacin was 0.5 mg/l for R. conorii and 1 mg/l for R. rickettsii. The results support the use of pefloxacin in treating spotted fever rickettsioses.
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