The European R&D for Space-based High-Contrast Imaging (HCI) II Workshop,held at MPIA in May 2025, advanced Europe’s strategic coordination in supportof future exoplanet-imaging missions such as the Habitable Worlds Observatory(HWO) and the Large Interferometer for Exoplanets (LIFE) mission. Building onthe first 2024 workshop, this meeting defined concrete priorities across eight technical areas, including wavefront sensing, coronagraphs, post-processing, nullinginterferometry, deformable mirrors, detectors, and telescope design. Discussionsemphasized Europe’s strengths in adaptive optics, ground-based facilities, andinterferometry, while identifying key gaps, particularly the need for a dedicatedEuropean vacuum testbed for high-contrast imaging. The community highlightednear-infrared or UV coronagraphy as a promising domain for European leadership and called for joint development of advanced data reduction algorithms,detectors, and cross-mission coordination with HWO and LIFE. The workshopoutcomes establish a collaborative roadmap to strengthen Europe’s technologi-cal readiness, foster agency partnerships, and ensure its continued leadership inthe next generation of space-based exoplanet exploration.

We present the discovery of a superjovian planet around the young A5 star HIP 54515, detected using precision astrometry from the Hipparcos Gaia Catalogue of Accelerations and high-contrast imaging with SCExAO/CHARIS from the recently commenced OASIS program. SCExAO/CHARIS detects HIP 54515 b in five epochs 0 . ″ 145–0 . ″ 192 from the star (∼3–4 λ / D at 1.65 μ m), exhibiting clockwise orbital motion. HIP 54515 b lies near the M/L transition with a luminosity of log( L / L ⊙ ) ∼−3.52 ± 0.03. Dynamical modeling constrains its mass and mass ratio to be 17.7 − 4.9 + 7.6 M Jup and 0.0090 − 0.0024 + 0.0036 and favors a ∼25 au semimajor axis. HIP 54515 b adds to a growing list of superjovian planets with moderate eccentricities ( e ≈ 0.4). Now, the third planet discovered from surveys combining high-contrast extreme adaptive optics imaging with precision astrometry, HIP 54515 b, should help improve empirical constraints on the luminosity evolution and eccentricity distribution of the most massive planets. It may also provide a key technical test of the Roman Space Telescope Coronagraph Instrument’s performance in the low stellar flux, small angular separation limit, and a demonstration of its ability to yield constrainable planet spectral properties.

JWST defines a new era for the data-driven approach of retrieval modelling, which has become a cornerstone tool for the statistical inference of exoplanetary and brown dwarf properties. The Early Release Science program #1386 observations of VHS 1256 b represent a huge jump in data quality, data quantity and spectral coverage for such objects. VHS 1256 b is a young, planetary mass and extremely variable companion that populates the enigmatic L/T cohort of substellar atmospheres. In this first retrieval analysis of the full 1 - 18 micron dataset, we apply the Brewster retrieval framework to the NIRSpec and MIRI spectroscopic observations of VHS 1256 b, exploring a variety of cloud species and structures. Using Delta(BIC) we find that the data is best described by a forsterite (Mg_2SiO_4) and enstatite (MgSiO_3) cloud combination. Our analysis shows a strong preference for patchy silicate cloud coverage, which aligns with VHS 1256 b's extensive and well documented spectral variability. Our retrieval is able to place constraints on the abundances of H_2O, CO, CO_2, CH_4 as well as NH_3. We also show that the retrieved parameters are sensitive to the data used and the relative signal-to-noise ratios between data from different instruments. We conclude with the next steps for the wider retrieval community to better understand young and cloudy exoplanetary atmospheres.

Context. Observations of helium emission lines from classical T Tauri stars at high resolution (R-lambda > 10 000) offer great potential, showing distinct profile characteristics that help probe regions within the accretion geometry untapped by hydrogen lines. Parallel studies in the planetary-mass regime have not been explored. Aims. We investigate helium line emission from the nearby (47 pc), wide orbit (similar to 84 au), similar to 13 M-Jup, accreting circumbinary companion Delorme 1 (AB)b and analyse the resolved profile characteristics to infer clues to line origin. Methods. We obtained high signal-to-noise spectra of the target over 33 exposures with VLT/UVES over near-ultraviolet to optical wavelengths at high resolution (R-lambda similar to 50 000). We studied the helium line profiles in the spectra and compared them to helium emission recorded from both accreting and non-accreting young stellar objects. Results. We detected seven neutral helium (He I) lines lambda lambda 3890, 4027, 4473, 4923, 5017, 5877, 6680 at high confidence (> 5 sigma), with notable flux variation between epochs. The line profiles of He I lambda lambda 5877,4923,4473,4027 show clear asymmetry, with a narrow component at similar to 0 kms(-1) and a broad component redshifted by similar to 15 kms(-1). The accretion luminosity (1.3(-0.7)(+1.6) x 10(-5) L-circle dot) and mass accretion rate (0.7(-0.4)(+0.9) x 10(-8) M-Jup yr(-1)) obtained from median He I line luminosities using empirical scaling relations from stars are comparable but slightly higher than from the target's ultraviolet excess emission. Conclusions. The protoplanet Delorme 1 (AB)b exhibits asymmetric He I lines similar to classical T Tauri stars, but with much smaller widths for the narrow and broad components. The triplet-singlet line ratio, a strong correlation with ultraviolet excess and the near-zero, redshifted velocities obtained for the narrow component suggest that it originates within the post-shock region, close to the planet surface. The persistent redshift of the broad component, its line width, and velocity correlation with the narrow component imply an origin within the shock structure, closer to the shock front. Emission seems to be dominated by accretion based on the obtained accretion luminosities, but a contribution from chromospheric activity may be present.

Context. Accretion processes in the planetary-mass regime are still poorly constrained, yet they strongly impact the formation and evolution of planets and the composition of circumplanetary disks. Aims. We investigate the resolved Balmer hydrogen emission-line profiles and their variability timescales in the ∼13 MJup, 30−45 Myr-old companion Delorme 1 (AB)b to derive constraints on the accretion mechanism at play. Methods. With VLT/UVES, we collected 31 new epochs of high-resolution optical (330–680 nm) spectra of the companion at R = 50 000, probing variability on timescales of hours to years. We study the companion’s H i emission line shape and flux variability and compare them to two proposed line origins: magnetospheric accretion funnel and localized accretion shock. Results. We detect H i Balmer lines from Hα up to H10 (6564–3799 Å), as well as the UV continuum excess – signs of ongoing accretion. All lines and UV excess are variable. The H i lines can be decomposed into two static components that vary only by their flux. The broader component in velocity correlates strongly with the UV excess, and its profile is qualitatively reproduced by magnetospheric accretion funnel models but clearly not by shock models. With strong relative variability, this broad component almost entirely explains the variability in the shape of the line profiles. The second, narrower component correlates less with the UV excess and is best reproduced by shock-emission models. Its strong absolute variability makes it responsible for most of the line flux variability. Overall, the lines have low relative flux variability on hourly timescales, but up to ∼100% on weekly timescales and beyond, a behavior similar to T Tauri stars. Conclusions. The properties of the broad component of the H i lines strongly support magnetospheric accretion. The narrow component could be due to an accretion shock as well as chromospheric activity. Higher-cadence observations could search for rotational modulations to constrain the object’s rotational period and the exact geometry of the accretion flow.

The European Research and Development for Space based High Contrast Imaging II Workshop, held at MPIA in May 2025, advanced Europe strategic coordination in support of future exoplanet imaging missions such as the Habitable Worlds Observatory and the Large Interferometer for Exoplanets mission. Building on the first 2024 workshop, this meeting defined concrete priorities across eight technical areas, including wavefront sensing, coronagraphs, post processing, nulling interferometry, deformable mirrors, detectors, and telescope design. Discussions emphasized Europe strengths in adaptive optics, ground-based facilities, and interferometry, while identifying key gaps, particularly the need for a dedicated European vacuum testbed for high contrast imaging. The community highlighted near infrared or UV coronagraphy as a promising domain for European leadership and called for joint development of advanced data reduction algorithms, detectors, and cross-mission coordination with HWO and LIFE. The workshop outcomes establish a collaborative roadmap to strengthen Europe technological readiness, foster agency partnerships, and ensure its continued leadership in the next generation of space-based exoplanet exploration.

Context. Observations of helium emission lines from classical T Tauri stars at high resolution (Rλ > 10 000) offer great potential, showing distinct profile characteristics that help probe regions within the accretion geometry untapped by hydrogen lines. Parallel studies in the planetary-mass regime have not been explored. Aims. We investigate helium line emission from the nearby (47 pc), wide orbit (∼84 au), ∼13 MJup, accreting circumbinary companion Delorme 1 (AB)b and analyse the resolved profile characteristics to infer clues to line origin. Methods. We obtained high signal-to-noise spectra of the target over 33 exposures with VLT/UVES over near-ultraviolet to optical wavelengths at high resolution (Rλ ~ 50 000). We studied the helium line profiles in the spectra and compared them to helium emission recorded from both accreting and non-accreting young stellar objects. Results. We detected seven neutral helium (He I) lines λλ3890, 4027, 4473, 4923, 5017, 5877, 6680 at high confidence (> 5σ), with notable flux variation between epochs. The line profiles of He I λλ5877,4923,4473,4027 show clear asymmetry, with a narrow component at ∼0 kms−1 and a broad component redshifted by ∼15 kms−1. The accretion luminosity (1.3−0.7+1.6 × 10−5 L⊙) and mass accretion rate (0.7−0.4+0.9 × 10−8 MJup yr−1) obtained from median He I line luminosities using empirical scaling relations from stars are comparable but slightly higher than from the target’s ultraviolet excess emission. Conclusions. The protoplanet Delorme 1 (AB)b exhibits asymmetric He I lines similar to classical T Tauri stars, but with much smaller widths for the narrow and broad components. The triplet-singlet line ratio, a strong correlation with ultraviolet excess and the near-zero, redshifted velocities obtained for the narrow component suggest that it originates within the post-shock region, close to the planet surface. The persistent redshift of the broad component, its line width, and velocity correlation with the narrow component imply an origin within the shock structure, closer to the shock front. Emission seems to be dominated by accretion based on the obtained accretion luminosities, but a contribution from chromospheric activity may be present.

Teegarden’s Star is one of the most promising targets for the first observations of LIFE as a nontransiting rocky planet with similar bulk properties to the Earth and a relatively quiescent M dwarf host star. We use LIFEsim, a software developed by the LIFE team based in ETH Zurich, along with thermal emission maps obtained from a suite of three-dimensional global climate model simulations, to explore the sensitivity of LIFE to the observation geometry. We find that 3 days of observation in broad band would be enough to disentangle the hemispheres of the planet with a 1 σ or 3 σ confidence level with a baseline or optimistic scenario, respectively. Doing the same for a fast rotator in the habitable zone of a G-class star would be prohibitively challenging. Given enough observation time, the sensitivity of LIFE may allow some spatial resolution of Teegarden’s Star b to be achieved, which may directly link to the presence of water clouds and therefore an active hydrology.

Context. Accretion processes in the planetary-mass regime are still poorly constrained, yet they strongly impact the formation and evolution of planets and the composition of circumplanetary disks. Aims. We investigate the resolved Balmer hydrogen emission-line profiles and their variability timescales in the similar to 13 M-Jup, 30-45 Myr-old companion Delorme 1 (AB)b to derive constraints on the accretion mechanism at play. Methods. With VLT/UVES, we collected 31 new epochs of high-resolution optical (330-680 nm) spectra of the companion at R = 50 000, probing variability on timescales of hours to years. We study the companion's H i emission line shape and flux variability and compare them to two proposed line origins: magnetospheric accretion funnel and localized accretion shock. Results. We detect H i Balmer lines from H alpha up to H10 (6564-3799 & Aring;), as well as the UV continuum excess - signs of ongoing accretion. All lines and UV excess are variable. The H i lines can be decomposed into two static components that vary only by their flux. The broader component in velocity correlates strongly with the UV excess, and its profile is qualitatively reproduced by magnetospheric accretion funnel models but clearly not by shock models. With strong relative variability, this broad component almost entirely explains the variability in the shape of the line profiles. The second, narrower component correlates less with the UV excess and is best reproduced by shock-emission models. Its strong absolute variability makes it responsible for most of the line flux variability. Overall, the lines have low relative flux variability on hourly timescales, but up to similar to 100% on weekly timescales and beyond, a behavior similar to T Tauri stars. Conclusions. The properties of the broad component of the H i lines strongly support magnetospheric accretion. The narrow component could be due to an accretion shock as well as chromospheric activity. Higher-cadence observations could search for rotational modulations to constrain the object's rotational period and the exact geometry of the accretion flow.

VHS 1256 b was the first planetary-mass companion to be observed with the James Webb Space Telescope's Mid-Infrared Instrument (JWST/MIRI) using the Medium-Resolution Spectrometer (MRS). The MRS provides high-quality integral-field spectral data in the mid-infrared (IR) wavelengths from 4.9-18 mu m. This data set serves as a testbed for applying cross-correlation techniques to characterize exoplanet atmospheres. We implement the so-called molecular mapping approach, which consists of performing a spectral cross-correlation between each spectral pixel and atmospheric model templates. We compare these results with those obtained from cross-correlation of the extracted spectrum. Using a self-consistent Exo-REM atmospheric model grid, we constrain the temperature, surface gravity, C/O ratio, and metallicity, finding values consistent with those obtained from other analysis methods. We detect CO (S/N similar to 25) and H2O (S/N similar to 76), with tentative detections of NH3 and CH4 (S/N similar to 3). We test cross-correlation to measure trace-species abundances and isotopic ratios. We measure a volume mixing ratio (VMR) of [NH3]=-5.73-0.14+0.15 and an isotopic ratio 12C/13C=77.8-10+13 , both consistent with free-chemistry retrievals. The derived NH3 VMR, combined with the measured temperature and radius, is consistent with VHS 1256 b having a mass above the deuterium-burning limit. These results demonstrate the diagnostic power of mid-IR spectroscopy and highlight cross-correlation as a robust method for characterizing directly imaged exoplanets, even in future higher-contrast regimes where spectral extraction becomes challenging. Future MIRI MRS observations across a wider range of temperatures and masses will further expand our understanding of planetary atmospheric chemistry.

We present the discovery of a low-mass companion located at rho similar to 0 .'' 85 (rproj approximate to 62 au) from the early type 1.3 Gyr old star HIP 53005 using direct-imaging data from the Subaru and Keck Telescopes and astrometry from the Hipparcos-Gaia Catalog of Accelerations. The companion, HIP 53005 C, is a component of a multiple system also including a approximate to 12 .'' 4 separation M-dwarf companion inducing a negligible proper motion acceleration. HIP 53005 C's position on color-magnitude diagrams, the fit of its spectral energy distribution to atmosphere models, and its location on an empirical mass-magnitude diagram all suggest that it lies at the M/L transition and near the hydrogen-burning limit (similar to 80 MJup). However, our orbital fitting combining direct-imaging relative astrometry with proper motion acceleration favors a much higher dynamical mass of similar to 185MJup. An additional unseen, more closely orbiting companion below the detection limit (at rho less than or similar to 0.'' 2 )) may explain this discrepancy. Alternatively, HIP 53005C could be a low-mass binary like Gliese 229Bab, making this system an intriguing laboratory for studying multiple star formation.

The ELT will provide groundbreaking science across a wide range of areas, including small habitable-zone exoplanets; however, true Earth analogs in the habitable zones of Sun-like stars are generally beyond the reach even of the ELT, due to the extreme contrast ratio and small angular separation between the planet and star. Here, we note that the combination of ELT and a space-based starshade would provide the contrast needed to observe potentially tens of Earth analogs, as well as other planets. This would yield the scientific basis needed for addressing central scientific questions regarding the frequency and distribution of habitability and life in the Universe. The huge aperture of ELT, combined with a contrast otherwise only reachable in space, opens up scientific avenues that are unmatched by any other existing or foreseen facility. ESO could conceivably collaborate with ESA (and others) to facilitate a starshade mission suitable for synergy with the ELT, as well as to prepare the ELT instrumentation in order to maximize its potential for synergy with a starshade.

We present the OASIS survey program discovery of a substellar companion orbiting the young A1V star HIP 71618, detected using precision astrometry from Gaia and Hipparcos and high-contrast imaging with SCExAO/CHARIS and Keck/NIRC2. Atmospheric modeling favors a spectral type of M5–M8 and a temperature of ∼2700 ± 100 K. Dynamical modeling constrains HIP 71618 B’s mass to be 60 − 21 + 27 M Jup or 65 − 29 + 54 M Jup , depending on the adopted companion mass prior. It has a nearly-edge-on 11 au orbit with high eccentricity. HIP 71618 B will be located within the Roman Coronagraph’s dark-hole region during the instrument’s technological demonstration phase. A high-signal-to-noise-ratio detection of HIP 71618 B at 575 nm would demonstrate a 5 σ contrast of 10 −7 or better. The system is also located within or very close to the Roman Coronagraph’s Continuous Viewing Zone—near multiple candidate reference stars for dark-hole digging—and its primary is bright ( V ≈ 5). The suitability of HIP 71618 as a potential Roman Coronagraph target for demonstrating the instrument’s core requirement (TTR5) should motivate the timely deep vetting of candidate reference stars.

Aims. We wish to confirm the nature of YSES 2b, a purportedly faint companion of the young star YSES 2. Methods. We used on-sky observations from SPHERE and GRAVITY to measure the astrometric position of 2b with respect to the star YSES 2, and examined the competing hypotheses of (i) a bound substellar companion versus (ii) a distant unrelated background source with a non-zero proper motion. Results. YSES 2b appears to be a late-type M-dwarf star over 2 kiloparsecs behind the star YSES 2. It has a transverse velocity of ∼300 km s−1 and is located within one of the spiral arms of the Galaxy. The main discriminant was multiple epochs of GRAVITY astrometry that identified the sub-milliarcsecond parallactic motion of the star.

Aims. We wish to confirm the nature of YSES 2b, a purportedly faint companion of the young star YSES 2. Methods. We used on-sky observations from SPHERE and GRAVITY to measure the astrometric position of 2b with respect to the star YSES 2, and examined the competing hypotheses of (i) a bound substellar companion versus (ii) a distant unrelated background source with a non-zero proper motion. Results. YSES 2b appears to be a late-type M-dwarf star over 2 kiloparsecs behind the star YSES 2. It has a transverse velocity of similar to 300 km s(-1) and is located within one of the spiral arms of the Galaxy. The main discriminant was multiple epochs of GRAVITY astrometry that identified the sub-milliarcsecond parallactic motion of the star.

We present aperture masking interferometry (AMI) observations of the star HIP 65426 at 3.8 μ m, as part of the JWST Direct Imaging Early Release Science program, obtained using the Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph instrument. This mode provides access to very small inner working angles (even separations slightly below the Michelson limit of 0.5 λ / D for an interferometer), which are inaccessible with the classical inner working angles of the JWST coronagraphs. When combined with JWST’s unprecedented infrared sensitivity, this mode has the potential to probe a new portion of parameter space across a wide array of astronomical observations. Using this mode, we are able to achieve a 5 σ contrast of Δ m F380M ∼ 7.62 ± 0.13 mag relative to the host star at separations ​​​​​≳0 . ″ 07 , and the contrast deteriorates steeply at separations ≲0 . ″ 07. However, we detect no additional companions interior to the known companion HIP 65426b (at separation ∼0 . ″ 82 or 8 7 − 31 + 108 au ). Our observations thus rule out companions more massive than 10–12 M Jup at separations ∼10–20 au from HIP 65426, a region out of reach of ground- or space-based coronagraphic imaging. These observations confirm that the AMI mode on JWST is sensitive to planetary mass companions at close-in separations (≳0 . ″ 07), even for thousands of more distant stars at ∼100 pc, in addition to the stars in the nearby young moving groups and associations, as stated in previous works. This result will allow the planning and successful execution of future observations to probe the inner regions of nearby stellar systems, opening an essentially unexplored parameter space.

The companion GL229B was recently resolved by Xuan et al. as a tight binary of two brown dwarfs (Ba and Bb) through VLTI-GRAVITY interferometry and Very Large Telescope-CRIRES+ radial velocity (RV) measurements. Here, we present Bayesian models of the interferometric and RV data in additional detail, along with an updated outer orbit of the brown dwarf pair about the primary. To create a model of the inner orbit with robust uncertainties, we apply kernel phases to the GRAVITY data, to address baseline redundancy in the raw closure phases. Using parallel tempering, we constrain the binary’s orbit using only VLTI-GRAVITY data, despite each epoch having low visibility-plane coverage and/or signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We demonstrate very good agreement between the VLTI-GRAVITY and CRIRES+ data sets and find that the inner binary has a period of 12.1346 ± 0.0011 days, an eccentricity of 0.2317 ± 0.0025, and a total mass of 71.0 ± 0.4 M jup , with Ba and Bb having masses of 37.7 ± 1.1 M jup and 33.4 ± 1.0 M jup , respectively. With new Keck/NIRC2 astrometry, we update the outer orbit of GL229B around the primary. We find a semimajor axis of 42.9+3.0–2.4 au, an eccentricity of 0.736 ± 0.014, and a total mass for B of 71.7 ± 0.6 M jup , consistent with that derived from the inner orbit. We find a mutual inclination of 31° ± 2 . ° 5, below the threshold for Kozai–Lidov oscillations. The agreement on the mass of Ba+Bb between the inner and outer orbits is an important test of our ability to model the RV, astrometry, and Hipparcos–Gaia proper-motion anomaly. Our methodological advances in handling interferometric data with low SNR and sparse UV coverage will benefit future observations of rapidly orbiting companions with VLTI-GRAVITY.

The beta Pictoris system, with its two directly imaged planets beta Pic b and beta Pic c and its well characterised debris disk, is a prime target for detailed characterisation of young planetary systems. Here, we present high-resolution and high-contrast LM band spectroscopy with CRIRES+ of the system, primarily for the purpose of atmospheric characterisation of beta Pic b. We developed methods for determining slit geometry and wavelength calibration based on telluric absorption and emission lines, as well as methods for PSF modelling and subtraction, and artificial planet injection, in order to extract and characterise planet spectra at a high S/N and spectral fidelity. Through cross-correlation with model spectra, we detected H2O absorption for planet b in each of the 13 individual observations spanning four different spectral settings. This provides a clear confirmation of previously detected water absorption, and allowed us to derive an exquisite precision on the rotational velocity of beta Pic b, v_rot = 20.36 +/- 0.31 km/s, which is consistent within error bars with previous determinations. We also observed a tentative H2O cross-correlation peak at the expected position and velocity of planet c; the feature is however not at a statistically significant level. Despite a higher sensitivity to SiO than earlier studies, we do not confirm a tentative SiO feature previously reported for planet b. When combining data from different epochs and different observing modes for the strong H2O feature of planet b, we find that the S/N grows considerably faster when sets of different spectral settings are combined, compared to when multiple data sets of the same spectral setting are combined. This implies that maximising spectral coverage is often more important than maximising integration depth when investigating exoplanetary atmospheres using cross-correlation techniques.

The European Space Agency has selected PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) for its M3 launch which is scheduled for 2026. With its extremely large field of view, PLATO is designed to obtain photometric measurements over an extended period for bright stars in order to detect and characterise (primarily) rocky planets in the habitable zones of solar type stars. The PLATO measurements will have sufficient sensitivity to determine the mass, radius and age of the host stars with unprecedented accuracy. The PLATO planet database will provide the first large-scale catalogue of accurately and homogeneously characterised small planets at intermediate orbital periods, which will can be used to severely constraint planet formation theories. This would facilitate large scale comparative exo-planetology. In addition the bright PLATO host stars will be ideal targets for atmospheric study with next generation facilities such as the ELT. The PLATO sensitivity will be sufficient to detect pulsations from stars across the HR diagram allowing a deep understanding of stellar structure and evolution to be developed using parameters determined from asteroseismology.