SPHERE: A ‘Planet Finder’ Instrument for the VLT

SPHERE (Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet Research) is a second generation instrument for the VLT optimized for the very high-contrast imaging around bright stars [J.-L. Beuzit, M. Feldt, K. Dohlen et al. in Messenger 125, 29 (2006)]. The primary goal is the detection and characterization of new giant planets around a variety of nearby stars. Together with the observation of early planetary systems and disks, and in association with the results of other planet search techniques, SPHERE will be a primary contributor to get a complete picture of the variety of planetary systems and to better understand their mechanisms of formation and evolution. Such results will be obtained before even more ambitious projects for the direct imaging of planets either from the ground with ELTs or from space.