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SUMMARY:Searching for Earth-like exoplanets with ESPRESSO@VLT - Francesco 
 Pepe (Geneva University)
DTSTART:20141028T163000Z
DTEND:20141028T173000Z
UID:TALK54606@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:David Titterington
DESCRIPTION:Radio-velocity measurements have reached the 1 m/s precision d
 uring the past ten years.  The HARPS spectrograph has played a fundamental
  role as a precursor for other instruments and by discovering most of the 
 super-Earths and Neptune-mass planets known to date.  The next natural ste
 p is to push for a 10 cm/s precision that would allow to reach also Earth-
 like planets\, i.e. Earth-mass planets in the habitable zone of their pare
 nt star.  Ideally\, the radial-velocity measurement would also be combined
  with transit measurements.  Since however most of the candidates delivere
 d by transits surveys are faint\, instrumental precision must be combined 
 with large telescopes and high instrumental throughput.  The ESPRESSO inst
 rument at ESO’s VLT is designed to accomplish both tasks.  It will use m
 ost of HARPS’s stability concepts while being adapted for an 8-m telesco
 pe.  Furthermore\, limiting factors had to be identified and removed to re
 ach the desired precision.  In my talk I will describe ESPRESSO’s design
 \, its technical challenges\, as well as the observational strategies to o
 ptimise the scientific output in the presence of stellar ‘noise’.  I w
 ill also provide an outlook of the scientific capabilities of this high-re
 solution\, high-efficiency visible spectrograph in both its 1-UT and 4-UT 
 mode\, i.e. when used in combination with a 16-m equivalent telescope.\n
LOCATION:Sackler Lecture Theatre\, Institute of Astronomy
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