arXiv subjects

L. Labadie

Publications and source records attributed to L. Labadie.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Improving constraints on the Yukawa correction at the Galactic Center with multiple stellar orbits

We investigate the presence of a Yukawa-like correction ($\propto \, αe^{- r/λ}$) to Newtonian gravity at the Galactic Center, using a multi-star fitting code, including the newly discovered star S$301$, to improve the constraints obtained using S$2$ orbit alone. We perform a Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis using the astrometric and spectroscopic data of stars S$2$, S$55$, S$29$, S$38$ and S$301$ collected by GRAVITY, GRAVITY$^+$, NACO and SINFONI instruments, covering the period from $1992$ to $2025$. Compared to GRAVITY Collaboration 2025 (Paper I), in which only S$2$ was fitted, the tightest bound on the Yukawa coupling is again reached at $λ= 3\cdot10^{13}\,\rm m\ (\sim 200\,AU)$, where we find $|α| < 6 \cdot10^{-4}$, an improvement of roughly a factor five. The addition of S$301$ extends the constraint to short ranges that were inaccessible to S$2$, yielding $|α| < 0.004$ at $λ=10^{12}\,\rm m$ and $|α| < 0.006$ at $λ=5\cdot 10^{11}\,\rm m$, while S$29$, with its larger apoapsis, gives $|α| < 0.1$ at $λ\sim 2\cdot10^{15}\,\rm m$. The latter two represent the tightest limits at these scale lengths on a Yukawa correction obtained to date around a supermassive black hole.

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arXiv2026

NAIR-APREXIS: Enabling photonics-based instruments for long-baseline interferometry and integral-field spectroscopy

The NAIR project -- Novel Astronomical Instrumentation based on photonic light Reformatting -- aims at advancing photonic technologies for infrared long-baseline interferometry and precision spectroscopy. The rapid development of astrophotonics over the past decade has opened new pathways for astronomical instrumentation with unprecedented capabilities. We present results from NAIR that demonstrate the potential of the ultrafast-laser inscription (ULI) technique for fabricating remapping devices for a range of applications. We developed a single-mode integrated-optics astronomical K-band beam combiner, which we successfully tested on-sky, although using only one single baseline of the CHARA Array. Across several observing campaigns, the prototype exhibited excellent stability, achieving 1% precision on the interferometric visibilities and a total on-sky throughput >40%, with an achieved limiting magnitude of K~5 using the 1-m meter telescopes of CHARA and without external fringe tracking. We are also developing an integral field unit (IFU) designed for exoplanet detection and characterisation. This is due to be tested with MagAO-X in Chile in 2027. The IFU is based upon astrophotonic fiber technologies - two-photon-polymerized (TPP) lenslets, a custom multi-core fiber, and a ULI reformatter. We discuss our efforts to achieve contrasts of 1e-3 between adjacent spaxels whilst retaining throughput of >50%. Finally, we discuss the work we are doing developing the next generation of astrophotonic technologies, including TPP micro-dispersers designed for low resolving power, high transmission applications. We achieve R~30 in a sub-mm package, showing viability for future use. These results emphasize the versatility and simplicity of integrated photonic approaches as a major advance in optical technologies for astronomical instrumentation.

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arXiv2026

Asgard/NOTT: Status of laboratory nulling performance

Nulling interferometry enables the direct detection of faint companions and circumstellar structures at angular separations unresolvable by classical, diffraction-limited imagers, whilst dramatically improving the measurable contrast. The Asgard/NOTT nulling instrument aims to achieve a contrast performance of 10^-5 in the L' wavelength band (3.5 - 4.0 μm), enabling observation and characterization of young giant exoplanets near the snowline and hot exozodiacal dust. Previous studies have verified the nulling capabilities, of the chip in ambient conditions and of the test bench in cryogenic conditions. This work aims to add the first ambient performance assessment of the test bench with spectrally dispersed light. Necessary revisions are made to the data acquisition and calibration pipeline and fringe scans are carried out, modeled and fitted. The splitting ratios of the 4-telescope nulling beam combiner, a photonic Gallium Lanthanum Sulfide (GLS) chip, are moreover characterized on the bench, showing tentative agreement with previous chip characterization. The null performance has worsened, the achieved contrast of ~ 10^-1 being one order of magnitude higher than what earlier characterized performance showed. Multiple future changes to the test bed and to the approach taken promise an improved characterization of performance. In particular, the input beam intensities will be deliberately mismatched to account for the imbalanced splitting ratios of the directional couplers. With the installation of the final cryostat and camera, the developed tools will be leveraged to re-assess the performance in ambient and cryogenic conditions.

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arXiv2026

Asgard/NOTT: Cryogenic characterization of the mid-infrared chip

NOTT is part of the new visitor instrument suite Asgard for the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), and the first long-baseline nulling interferometer that will be operational in the southern hemisphere. It is an L'-band (3.5-4$\,μ$m) instrument optimized for imaging hot exozodiacal dust and young giant planets orbiting around the snowline of nearby main-sequence stars. For planet imaging, the L' band has the advantage of relaxing the requirements on the star-planet contrast to $\sim 10^{-5}$ while limiting the level of background noise compared with longer wavelengths. Nulling interferometry in the L'-band was made possible by the development of mid-infrared integrated optics with high throughput. NOTT uses a photonic beam combiner made of Gallium Lanthanum Sulfide (GLS), manufactured at Macquarie University and characterized at ambient temperatures at Universität zu Köln. This first characterization showed that the chip could achieve the broadband contrast requirement for exoplanet imaging. Using the test bench of the NOTT instrument assembled at KU Leuven, and its test cryostat, we successfully cooled the chip down to $\sim 138\,$K and performed its first characterization at cryogenic temperatures. The results show a raw broadband contrast of $\sim1\,\%$, similar to the previous measurements done at ambient temperatures. The splitting ratios of the different couplers are also shown to remain stable at cryogenic temperatures, with less than $\sim 2\,\%$ uncertainty compared to ambient measurements. These results thus show that the beam-combining properties and splitting ratios are behaving as expected at 138$\,$K. The current maximum throughput of the chip is estimated at $\sim37\,\%$. Future work will investigate an anti-reflection coating to reduce its Fresnel losses and increase its throughput to $\sim50\,\%$.

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arXiv2026

Discovery of a star sensitive to the spin of Sgr A*

Residing in the center of the Milky Way, Sgr A* is the closest massive black hole (MBH). Its vicinity has allowed measuring individual stellar orbits around it. The stars act as test particles and probe the gravitational potential around the $4.3 \times 10^6 M_\odot$ MBH. These observations have determined the central mass to sub-percent precision, and the mildly relativistic motions of stars have given access to the dominant relativistic corrections, the gravitational redshift, the transverse Doppler effect, and the prograde precession imposed by the Schwarzschild metric nature of the potential. These effects are of order $β^2 = (v/c)^2$ (for velocity $v$ and speed of light $c$). The Kerr metric for a rotating black hole leads to corrections of order $β^3$. Here, we report the discovery of a faint main-sequence star ($m_K = 19.3$), S301, on a 8.7-year orbit and with small enough a pericenter distance, such that the star's peak velocity reaches $25000\,$km/s. Within the measurement capabilities of current near-infrared interferometry and future spectroscopy on an extremely large telescope, S301's motion is directly sensitive to the spin of Sgr A*. The high eccentricity of S301 suggests that it is the captured component of a binary that was torn apart via the Hills mechanism.

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arXiv2026

The asymmetric structure of the inner disc around HD 142527 A with VLTI/MATISSE

Circumstellar discs, and especially their inner regions, covering ranges from <1 au to a few astronomical units, are the birthplaces of terrestrial planets. The inner regions are thought to be similarly diverse in structure as the well-observed outer regions probed by ALMA. Combining data and results from previous studies of the VLTI/PIONIER and VLTI/GRAVITY instruments with new, multi-epoch VLTI/MATISSE observations, we aim to provide a comprehensive picture of the structure of the inner regions of the circumstellar disc around the F-type Herbig Ae/Be star HD 142527 A, the primary of a binary star system. We model the multi-wavelength interferometric data using a parametrised, geometrically thin disc model, allowing for azimuthal asymmetry, exploring a first-order disc modulation and an off-centre Gaussian component. We find time-variable structures in the N-band observables, which we reproduce with time-dependent models. This variability manifests as azimuthally asymmetric emission, evidenced by strong, non-zero closure phases in the N-band data. Fits to individual epochs of the N-band observations yield better $χ^2_\text{r}$ values than fits to all epochs simultaneously. This suggests substantial changes in the geometry of the inner disc emission from ~1 au up to a few astronomical-unit scales from one year to the next. Moreover, our models produce a very close-in inner disc rim $R_\text{rim}\approx0.1$ au. All together, we find a very complex, substantially non-point symmetric and temporally-variable disc ($r_\text{out}\lesssim6$ au) around the primary. The very close-in inner rim indicates the presence of material inside the typical wall-like sublimation radius $R_\text{rim,literature}\approx0.3$ au. The complex, temporally variable inner-disc geometry is likely affected or even caused by the close passing (~5 au) and short orbit ($P\approx24$ yr) of the companion HD 142527 B.

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arXiv2026

The GRAVITY young stellar object survey -- XV. The star-disk interaction region of the T Tauri star DO Tau

Protoplanetary disks around young Sun-like stars are the cradles of the vast majority of detected exoplanets. Probing these disks at multiple spatial scales is key to uncovering how planets form. We aim to spatially and spectrally resolve the inner disk and star-disk interaction region of the M0.3 T Tauri star DO Tau by combining two complementary techniques. We used high-resolution near-infrared spectra from CFHT/SPIRou to constrain the magnetospheric star-disk interaction process and optical long-baseline interferometry with ESO VLTI/GRAVITY to determine the sizes of the K-band continuum and Br$γ$ line emitting regions. From the SPIRou spectra, we confirmed that this ~0.5 M$_\odot$ star is a strong accretor. The HI and HeI lines exhibit strong variability on a daily timescale, consistent with the burster classification of DO Tau derived from its K2 light curve. We derived an upper limit of 0.35 on the ratio between the magnetospheric truncation radius and the disk corotation radius, indicative of an ordered unstable accretion regime. The size of the Br$γ$ line emitting region obtained from GRAVITY is much smaller than the K-band continuum emitting region. This compact Br$γ$ emission region ($R_{Brγ} \sim$ 0.011 au) suggests that most of the line flux originates from the magnetospheric accretion region and/or from an inner wind close to the magnetosphere-disk interface. The inclination we derived for the inner disk (45-55°) differs from that of the outer disk inferred from the ALMA continuum (30°). This points toward a misalignment or warp of the outer disk that may originate from the suspected past encounter with the neighboring HV Tau system.

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arXiv2026

SIMTERFERE: An optical interferometry simulator for quantifying the coherent flux stability of VLTI/GRAVITY+. Reaching per mill stability: Application to exoplanet spectroscopy

The implementation of the GRAVITY+ Adaptive Optics (GPAO) system at VLTI enables unprecedented sensitivity and stability in optical interferometry. This allows high-precision characterization of directly imaged exoplanets at medium spectral resolution, providing a new pathway for studying planetary atmospheres. We aim to quantify and characterize the short- and long-term stability of GRAVITY+ through a consecutive seven-hour observation of the bright and stable star beta Pictoris, providing a benchmark for future exoplanet observations. We developed SIMTERFERE, a data-driven simulation tool that reproduces GRAVITY+ on-star observations using ancillary instrument and telemetry data. By comparing the simulations with the measured coherent fluxes, we traced the origins of systematic flux variations and assessed their impact on exoplanet contrast measurements. We find that the approximately 10% variations are dominated by throughput changes driven by variable fiber coupling, which depends on wavefront stability, atmospheric dispersion, and residual fiber offsets. These variations appear as smooth continuum changes across wavelength and can be effectively mitigated using second-order polynomial corrections. After removing these instrumental effects, the remaining approximately 1% variations are almost purely of telluric origin, which we can reliably correct down to the photon-noise limit (0.1% precision) using a contrast spectrum approach with linear airmass interpolation. The GRAVITY+ inferometric instrument is highly stable: low-order continuum and telluric variations can be corrected with high precision, making it uniquely capable of high-fidelity characterization of directly imaged exoplanets.

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arXiv2026

The MATISSE view of the inner region of the RY Tau protoplanetary disk

The T-Tauri type young stellar object RY Tau exhibits a dust depleted inner cavity characteristic of a transition disk. We constrain the spatial distribution and mineralogy of dust in the RY Tau protoplanetary disk in the inner few astronomical units using spectrally resolved interferometric observations in the L, M, and N bands obtained with VLTI/MATISSE. Employing a 2D temperature gradient model we estimate the orientation of the inner disk finding no evidence of significant misalignment between the inner and outer disk of RY Tau. Successively, we analyze the chemical composition of silicates depending on spatial region in the disk and identify several silicate species commonly found in protoplanetary disks. Additionally, a depletion of amorphous dust grains toward the central protostar is observed. Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations show that hot dust close to the protostar and in the line of sight to the observer, either in the uppermost disk layers of a strongly flared disk or in a dusty envelope, is necessary to model the observations. The shadow cast by a dense innermost disk midplane on the dust further out explains the observed closure phases in the L band and to some extent in the M band. However, the closure phases in the N band are underestimated by our model, hinting at an additional asymmetry in the flux density distribution not visible at shorter wavelengths.

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arXiv2025

Asgard/NOTT: L-band nulling interferometry at the VLTI -- III. The mid-infrared integrated optics beam combiner for NOTT

The NOTT visitor instrument at the VLTI will characterize hot exozodiacal dust and young Jupiter-like planets at the water snowline via L' band nulling interferometry. The beam combination will be achieved by a four-telescope integrated optics beam combiner (IOBC) that fulfills specific requirements. Our goal was to manufacture the mid-infrared IOBC for NOTT based on the double-Bracewell architecture and run a detailed laboratory characterization in the L' band. We focus on the achievable raw and self-calibrated nulling ratios. We use a double Michelson interferometer to produce four broadband coherent beams simulating the four telescopes of the VLTI and perform broadband nulling at room temperature. We analyze the modal, chromatic, and polarization behavior of the IOBC, and measure its total throughput. We were able to manufacture a single-mode four-telescope double-Bracewell IOBC in GLS mid-infrared transparent glass using Ultrafast Laser Inscription. We show that the directional couplers forming the four-telescope IOBC (4T-nuller) have an achromatic splitting ratio across the band 3.65-3.85 um with a 40/60 and 50/50 splitting for the side couplers and the central coupler, respectively. We report a total throughput of 37%, including the Fresnel losses that will be mitigated with anti-reflection coatings, and quantify differential birefringence. Operating at room temperature, with 200 nm bandwidth centered at 3.8 um and without polarization control, we measure an average raw null of 8.13+/-0.03x10-3 and a self-calibrated null of 1.14+/-0.01x10-3. Finally, we show that a theta^6 broad null can be experimentally reproduced in these conditions. This is, to our knowledge, the first measurement of a broadband L' deep null obtained with a four-telescope integrated optics beam combiner. The next step foresees testing the 4T-nuller in cryogenic conditions.

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arXiv2025

Very High Precision Astrometry for Exoplanets and Dark Matter with the Habitable Worlds Observatory

Astrometry, one of the oldest branches of astronomy, has been revolutionized by missions like Hipparcos and especially Gaia, which mapped billions of stars with extraordinary precision. However, challenges such as detecting Earth-like exoplanets in nearby habitable zones and probing the influence of dark matter in galactic environments require sub-microarcsecond accuracy. With a 6--8 meter large-aperture telescope operating across at visible wavelengths, the Habitable Worlds Observatory by NASA can combine astrometry and direct imaging to detect rocky exoplanets within 10 parsecs and study their atmospheres. We consider here the scientific requirements and present a concept for a dedicated astrometric instrument on HWO. It is capable to produce diffraction-limited images of large fields, achieving a point-spread function (PSF) precision of 20 milliarcseconds. Equipped with a detector calibration system, HWO can perform high precision astrometry, and, detect and measure the orbit of Earth-mass planets in the habitable zone of Nearby Solar-type stars. HWO can dramatically improve current constraints on the self- interaction cross-section of heavy dark matter particles (WIMPs) and on the masses of ultra-high dark matter particles, through the study of stellar motions in galactic environments. The visible channel of the instrument features a large CMOS-based focal plane with stitched pixel arrays, enabling a large field of view. The ``Detector Calibration Unit'' system uses interferometric laser fringes to calibrate pixel positions. Using differential astrometry and pointed observations with a stable telescope design enables extended integration times, enhancing sensitivity to sub-microarcsecond precision for detecting exoplanets and studying dark matter through stellar motion.

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arXiv2025

Exploring stellar activity in a sample of active M dwarfs

Most M dwarfs show higher chromospheric activity, often exceeding solar levels. Characterizing stellar activity is essential, particularly since these stars are prime targets in the search for habitable exoplanets. We investigate the stellar activity of active M dwarfs using TESS photometry combined with spectroscopic observations. We explore relations between flare occurrence rate (FOR), flare energies, rotation period, starspot filling factor, and chromospheric indicators. We also examine correlations between flare amplitude, duration, and cumulative flare frequency distributions to probe the mechanisms behind magnetic activity. We find that FOR is flat across spectral types M0-M4 but declines for cooler M dwarfs. Rapid rotators ($P_{\rm rot} < 1$ day) display significantly higher FOR and flare activity. M dwarfs with higher FOR tend to have lower flare amplitudes, suggesting that frequent flares are generally less energetic. For stars with 0.15--0.76 $M_\odot$, the median $L_{Hα}/L_{\rm bol}$ varies by a factor of 2.5 across mass bins of 0.1 $M_\odot$, while $Δ$EW decreases by 92\%. The cumulative flare frequency distributions show a decrease in the power-law slope from M0 to M5, with $α$ ranging from 1.68 to 1.95. Our results indicate a transition in stellar activity near M4, where stronger H$α$ emission coincides with higher FOR. We confirm that chromospheric and flare activity follow a power-law relation, highlighting the interplay between magnetic fields and flaring in M dwarfs. We also find that fast rotators sustain frequent flaring through strong dynamos, and that highly active stars dissipate magnetic energy via numerous low-energy flares rather than rare high-energy ones.

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arXiv2025

Mid-infrared evidence for iron-rich dust in the multi-ringed inner disk of HD 144432

Context. Rocky planets form by the concentration of solid particles in the inner few au regions of planet-forming disks. Their chemical composition reflects the materials in the disk available in the solid phase at the time the planets were forming. Aims. We aim to constrain the structure and dust composition of the inner disk of the young star HD 144432, using an extensive set of infrared interferometric data taken by the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), combining PIONIER, GRAVITY, and MATISSE observations. Methods. We introduced a new physical disk model, TGMdust, to image the interferometric data, and to fit the disk structure and dust composition. We also performed equilibrium condensation calculations with GGchem. Results. Our best-fit model has three disk zones with ring-like structures at 0.15, 1.3, and 4.1 au. Assuming that the dark regions in the disk at ~0.9 au and at ~3 au are gaps opened by planets, we estimate the masses of the putative gap-opening planets to be around a Jupiter mass. We find evidence for an optically thin emission ($τ<0.4$) from the inner two disk zones ($r<4$ au) at $λ>3\ μ$m. Our silicate compositional fits confirm radial mineralogy gradients. To identify the dust component responsible for the infrared continuum emission, we explore two cases for the dust composition, one with a silicate+iron mixture and the other with a silicate+carbon one. We find that the iron-rich model provides a better fit to the spectral energy distribution. Conclusions. We propose that in the warm inner regions ($r<5$ au) of typical planet-forming disks, most if not all carbon is in the gas phase, while iron and iron sulfide grains are major constituents of the solid mixture along with forsterite and enstatite. Our analysis demonstrates the need for detailed studies of the dust in inner disks with new mid-infrared instruments such as MATISSE and JWST/MIRI.

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arXiv2024

Challenges in focal plane and telescope calibration for High-Precision Space Astrometry

With sub-microarcsecond angular accuracy, the \theia telescope will be capable of revealing the architectures of nearby exoplanetary systems down to the mass of Earth. This research addresses the challenges inherent in space astrometry missions, focusing on focal plane calibration and telescope optical distortion. We propose to assess the future feasibility of large-format detectors (50 to 200 megapixels) in a controlled laboratory environment. The aim is to improve the architecture of the focal plane while ensuring that specifications are met. The use of field stars as metrological sources for calibrating the optical distortion of the field may help to constrain telescope stability. The paper concludes with an attempt to confirm in the laboratory the performance predicted by simulations. We will also address the possibility of using such techniques with a dedicated instrument for the Habitable World Observatory.

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arXiv2024

The interplay between disk wind and magnetospheric accretion mechanisms in the innermost environment of RU Lup

Aims: Our aim is to build upon the analysis presented in our previous work by attempting to match the observational data obtained with VLTI GRAVITY for RU Lup in 2021 with an expanded radiative transfer model of Br$γ$ emission. Specifically, we will determine if the inclusion of an additional disk wind as a Br$γ$ emitter in the inner disk will be able to reproduce the trend of increasing sizes at higher velocities, as well as the observed photocenter shifts. Methods: We make use of the MCFOST radiative transfer code to solve for Br$γ$ line formation in the innermost disk of an RU Lupl-like system. From the resulting images we compute synthetic interferometric observables. We first investigate how individual parameter variations in a pure magnetospheric accretion model and a pure parameteric disk wind model translate to changes in these derived quantities. Then we attempt to reproduce the RU Lup GRAVITY data with different parameter variants of magnetospheric accretion models, disk wind models, and combined hybrid models. Results: We demonstrate that magnetospheric accretion models and disk wind models on their own can emulate certain individual characteristics from the observational results, but individually fail to comprehensively reproduce the observational trends. Disk wind plus accretion hybrid models are in principle capable of explaining the variation in characteristic radii across the line and the corresponding flux ratios. While the model parameters of the hybrid models are mostly in good agreement with the known attributes of RU Lup, we find that our best-fitting models deviate in terms of rotational period and the size of the magnetosphere. The best-fitting hybrid model does not respect the co-rotation criterion, as the magnetospheric truncation radius is about 50% larger than the co-rotation radius.

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arXiv2024

The GRAVITY young stellar object survey XIV : Investigating the magnetospheric accretion-ejection processes in S CrA N

The dust- and gas-rich protoplanetary disks around young stellar systems play a key role in star and planet formation. While considerable progress has recently been made in probing these disks on large scales of a few tens of astronomical units (au), the central au needs to be more investigated. We aim at unveiling the physical processes at play in the innermost regions of the strongly accreting T Tauri Star S CrA N by means of near-infrared interferometric observations. The K-band continuum emission is well reproduced with an azimuthally-modulated dusty ring. As the star alone cannot explain the size of this sublimation front, we propose that magnetospheric accretion is an important dust-heating mechanism leading to this continuum emission. The differential analysis of the Hydrogen Br$γ$ line is in agreement with radiative transfer models combining magnetospheric accretion and disk winds. Our observations support an origin of the Br$γ$ line from a combination of (variable) accretion-ejection processes in the inner disk region.

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arXiv2024

Asgard/NOTT: First lab assembly and experimental results

Asgard/NOTT is an ERC-funded project hosted at KU Leuven and is part of a new visitor instrumental suite, called Asgard, under preparation for the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Leveraging nulling capabilities and the long VLTI baselines, it is optimized for high-contrast imaging of the snow line region around young nearby main-sequence stars. This will enable the characterization of the atmosphere of young giant exoplanets and warm/hot exozodiacal dust with spectroscopy in the L'-band (3.5-4.0$μ$m). In this work, we present the first lab assembly of the instrument done at KU Leuven and the technical solutions to tackle the challenge of performing nulling in the mid-infrared despite the thermal background. The opto-mechanical design of the warm optics and the injection system for the photonic chip are described. The alignment procedure used to assemble the system is also presented. Finally, the first experimental results, including fringes and null measurements, are given and confirm the adequacy of the bench to test and optimize the Asgard/NOTT instrument.

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arXiv2024

The GRAVITY young stellar object survey XIII. Tracing the time-variable asymmetric disk structure in the inner AU of the Herbig star HD98922

Temporal variability in the photometric and spectroscopic properties of protoplanetary disks is common in YSO. However, evidence pointing toward changes in their morphology over short timescales has only been found for a few sources, mainly due to a lack of high cadence observations at mas resolution. We combine GRAVITY multi-epoch observations of HD98922 at mas resolution with PIONIER archival data covering a total time span of 11 years. We interpret the interferometric visibilities and spectral energy distribution with geometrical models and through radiative transfer techniques. We investigated high-spectral-resolution quantities to obtain information on the properties of the HI BrG-line-emitting region. The observations are best fitted by a model of a crescent-like asymmetric dust feature located at 1 au and accounting for 70% of the NIR emission. The feature has an almost constant magnitude and orbits the central star with a possible sub-Keplerian period of 12 months, although a 9 month period is another, albeit less probable, solution. The radiative transfer models show that the emission originates from a small amount of carbon-rich (25%) silicates, or quantum-heated particles located in a low-density region. Among different possible scenarios, we favor hydrodynamical instabilities in the inner disk that can create a large vortex. The high spectral resolution differential phases in the BrG-line show that the hot-gas component is offset from the star and in some cases is located between the star and the crescent feature. The scale of the emission does not favor magnetospheric accretion as a driving mechanism. The scenario of an asymmetric disk wind or a massive accreting substellar or planetary companion is discussed. With this unique observational data set for HD98922, we reveal morphological variability in the innermost 2 au of its disk region.

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