Project description
Imaging inner planetary systems with high-precision interferometry
Terrestrial worlds like the inner planets in the solar system are plentiful and diverse in the universe. Exploring the huge diversity of exoplanet composition is one of the most compelling quests of modern astronomy. The intense light from the parent star which washes out the exoplanet’s faint light and the low angular resolution of telescopes make direct exoplanet observation challenging. The EU-funded SCIFY project plans to build a new high-precision interferometric instrument dedicated to imaging the inner region of nearby planetary systems. It will be installed on the European Very Large Telescope Interferometer facility. Its novelty is that it will 'turn off' the light of a star by interferometry to better see the surrounding exoplanets. The instrument will be a key technological precursor for a future space mission that will allow the search for traces of life on the surface of exoplanets.
Objective
The spectral characterisation and understanding of terrestrial exoplanets is currently one of the most ambitious and challenging long-term goals of astrophysics. All observing techniques with the potential to tackle this challenge face the same limitations: the overwhelmingly dominant flux of the host star and/or the lack of angular resolution. A very promising technical solution around these issues is nulling interferometry, which combines the advantages of stellar interferometry (high angular resolution) and coronagraphy (starlight rejection). For several years, we have been developing both data acquisition and data processing techniques based on self-calibration of the interferometric observable and demonstrated record-breaking starlight rejection on two American ground-based facilities. With the SCIFY project, I propose to prototype the first nulling interferometric instrument for the European Very Large Telescope Interferometer. By leveraging its state-of-the-art infrastructure, long baselines, and strategic position in the Southern hemisphere, the new VLTI instrument will be able to carry out several high-impact exoplanet programmes to characterise the chemical composition of Jupiter-like exoplanets at the most relevant angular separations (i.e. close to the snow line) and better understand how planets form and evolve. To achieve these goals, we will demonstrate a new observing technique called spectral self-calibration, combining nulling interferometry with high-dispersion spectroscopy, and adapt our advanced post-processing techniques to the VLTI. This will provide a new and more robust open-source general-purpose interferometric data reduction tool to the VLTI community. In the long term, the SCIFY project will be a cornerstone in the roadmap leading to the characterisation of terrestrial exoplanets and the search for life beyond Earth.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2019-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
3000 LEUVEN
Belgium
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.