Giovedì 16 aprile alle ore 12:00 Nicholas Devaney (University of Galway, Irlanda) terrà un seminario dal titolo “Direct imaging of exoplanets: techniques, instruments, and future prospects”.

Abstract:
This seminar will present an introduction to the direct imaging of exoplanets and review the current status of the field. While several thousand exoplanets have been discovered, primarily through the transit and radial-velocity techniques, fewer than one hundred have been detected through direct imaging from either ground-based or space-based telescopes. The principal challenge is overcoming the extreme brightness contrast and small angular separation between a host star and its planets. To suppress stellar light, a variety of coronagraph designs are used in both ground- and space-based telescopes. For ground-based observations, highly precise correction of atmospheric turbulence is also required through advanced adaptive optics systems, often referred to as extreme adaptive optics. In addition, sophisticated post-processing techniques are necessary to distinguish faint planetary signals from residual speckle noise in the images. This seminar will introduce the principles of coronagraphy and adaptive optics and review major planet-imaging instruments operating at the Gemini Observatory, Very Large Telescope, and Subaru Telescope. Post-processing methods used in high-contrast imaging will also be outlined. Finally, the seminar will discuss the current status of the field and the prospects for future discoveries with the next generation of Extremely Large Telescopes.