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M. A. Kenworthy

Publications and source records attributed to M. A. Kenworthy.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The Hill sphere transits of Beta Pictoris c and the search for another 1981-like event

Beta Pictoris is a young and nearby planetary system hosting an edge-on debris disk and at least three gas-giant planets. Their circumplanetary environments could host exomoons and rings, a detection of which would be highly informative for moon and planet formation theories. A photometric fluctuation of about 4% was seen towards Beta Pictoris in 1981, indicating the transit of dust in the system, which could be associated with the Hill spheres of the two inner planets. We search for the origin of the 1981 event by searching for an analogous event in multi-epoch photometry from 2017 to 2023, and look for signs of circumplanetary material in transits of the Hill sphere of Beta Pictoris c. Observations from the BRITE satellite, and the bRing and ASTEP observatories are fitted to a model of the 1981 event to search for a similar event, and also search for a signal consistent with a circumplanetary disk transit using a simple flat disk model. No compelling evidence for a 1981 event during a Hill sphere primary transit is found, although we do find a candidate event around 2019 July 26. Due to the uncertainty in the time of closest projected separation of Beta Pictoris c, a search for a disk during the primary transit of 2018 could not be robustly determined, but bRing photometry for the second primary transit places an upper limit on the dust content of the Hill sphere of ~ $10^{22}$ grams of material. With no compelling detection of an event similar to that seen in 1981 during the transits of Beta Pictoris c in the photometric time series, we rule out the hypothesis that this event was related to the Hill spheres of Beta Pictoris c and Beta Pictoris b. Future observations of the next Hill sphere transit in 2028 can be realised with both ground-based observatories and with PLATO, whose first long duration science pointing will include Beta Pictoris.

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The carbon isotope ratio of β Pic b with high-resolution spectroscopy

Isotopic ratios trace the formation and evolution of planets and link their atmospheres to the chemistry of their natal protoplanetary discs. We measure $^{12}\mathrm{C}/^{13}\mathrm{C} = 58^{+18}_{-15}$ in the atmosphere of the young super-Jupiter $β$ Pic b from 11 nights of CRIRES+ K-band spectroscopy ($\mathcal{R} \approx 100{,}000$) at the Very Large Telescope (VLT). We detect both $^{12}\mathrm{CO}$ and $^{13}\mathrm{CO}$ and constrain $^{12}\mathrm{C}/^{13}\mathrm{C}$ with a Bayesian retrieval jointly fitted with near-infrared photometry. The inferred $^{12}\mathrm{C}/^{13}\mathrm{C}$ is consistent with the present-day interstellar medium (ISM), is below the solar value, and is comparable to measurements in other young super-Jupiters. We also retrieve $T_{\rm eff} = 1629^{+30}_{-28}\,\mathrm{K}$, near-solar to mildly super-solar metallicity ([M/H]$ = 0.20^{+0.16}_{-0.12}$), a solar-like carbon-to-oxygen ratio (C/O$ = 0.52 \pm 0.03$), and tentative evidence for thick clouds. We analyse each night independently and combine the results of the six epochs with the highest signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), propagating night-to-night scatter into the final uncertainties. This provides an isotopic benchmark for a directly imaged planet interior to the CO snow line.

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Upper limits on exosatellites around $β$ Pictoris b

$β$ Pictoris b is one of the closest known directly-imaged gas giant exoplanets with an orbit that is almost edge-on to our line of sight, making it an ideal target for radial velocity monitoring to search for massive exomoons. We measure the radial velocity of $β$ Pictoris b over several epochs between October 2024 and March 2025 by using the cross-correlation of a template spectrum with absorption lines in the planet's atmosphere, giving a mean precision of 160 m s$^{-1}$. The resultant set of radial velocities is analysed with a periodogram to search for candidate RV signals indicating a massive exomoon. Although we do not detect an exomoon signal in our data, our detection limits for a single moon are 80 Earth masses at P=1 day and 1 Jupiter at P=200 days, comparable to RV exomoon searches around other substellar companions. The RV limit is comparable with the astrometric exomoon limit at a period of 7 days and a mass of 150 Earth masses, where for longer periods the astrometric searches have lower mass limits. With an additional observing season, CRIRES+ can detect a planet/moon mass ratio of $10^{-3}$ (4 Earth masses) with a period of up to one day, and can detect a Neptune-mass moon at hundreds of Jupiter radii.

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Interior-Atmosphere Coupling on TRAPPIST-1 f, g, and h: Cryovolcanic Water Exospheres and Infrared Detectability

We investigate the interior structures and cryovolcanic observability of the exoplanets TRAPPIST-1f, g, and h. Our aim is to determine which interior configurations can sustain subsurface liquid water oceans in thermal equilibrium and to assess whether the resulting cryovolcanic outgassing could be detectable with current and future observatories. Using a layered interior model with silicate and ice layers, we identify thermal equilibrium configurations and quantify internal heat partitioning through Monte Carlo simulations. We also estimate cryovolcanic water outgassing and assess its detectability using synthetic transmission spectra of atmospheres and exospheres. We find that the internal heat budgets of all three planets are dominated by radiogenic heating and tidal dissipation in high-pressure ice layers. Thermal equilibrium solutions for TRAPPIST-1f and g favor thin outer ice shells and shallow subsurface oceans, whereas TRAPPIST-1h permits thicker ice shells, in agreement with previous work. Localized plume-like outgassing produces stronger JWST/NIRISS transmission signals than globally distributed exospheres. Under favorable assumptions, outgassing on TRAPPIST-1f may be detectable within about 20 transits. Overall, our results show that subsurface oceans can be sustained across a broad range of interior configurations and constrain the detectability of cryovolcanic water vapor on the TRAPPIST-1f, g, and h planets. Interior heat budgets and the spatial distribution of outgassed material emerge as key factors controlling detectability. This framework motivates future transmission studies of Europa-like exoplanets.

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The VLT/ERIS grating vector Apodizing Phase Plate coronagraph

We describe the design, laboratory manufacture, and on-sky testing of the grating vector apodizing phase plate (gvAPP) coronagraph for the Enhanced Resolution Imager and Spectrograph (ERIS) on the Very Large Telescope. We used both laboratory measurements and on-sky observations to characterise the gvAPP in several different filters, from the K to the L band. In testing, the gvAPP reaches its design specification in the transmission of the optic with 90% in the K bands and 60% in the L band. While the gvAPP reaches its designed raw contrast performance of $1 \times 10^{-5}$, it does not reach the post-processed contrast of $5 \times 10^{-5}$ in on-sky observations. Electronic detector noise, due to the Airy core of the coronagraphic point spread function inducing cross-talk between the readout amplifiers, produces a repeated pattern within the coronagraphic regions of the gvAPP. Despite these limitations, we recommend the gvAPP as a tool for characterising substellar companions with known separations and position angles, which allow them to be placed in the coronagraphic dark holes for observations. The ERIS gvAPP's leakage term can also be used as a photometric reference for time series observations; however, we caution that the contrast performance may limit such studies to only the brightest targets. ERIS gvAPP data quality may be improved further with better modelling of detector electronic noise. This work is a pathfinder for Extremely Large Telescope instruments including METIS, which will include gvAPP coronagraphs with improved designs based on these results.

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Adding colour to the Zernike wavefront sensor: Advantages of including multi-wavelength measurements for wavefront reconstruction

To directly image Earth-like planets, contrast levels of 10^-8 - 10^-10 are required. The next generation of instruments will need wavefront control below the nanometer level to achieve these goals. The Zernike wavefront sensor (ZWFS) is a promising candidate thanks to its sensitivity, which reaches the fundamental quantum information limits. However, its highly non-linear response restricts its practical use case. We aim to demonstrate the improvement in robustness of the ZWFS by reconstructing the wavefront based on multi-wavelength measurements facilitated by technologies such as the microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs). We performed numerical simulations using an accelerated multi-wavelength gradient descent reconstruction algorithm. Three aspects are considered: dynamic range, photon noise sensitivity, and phase unwrapping. We examined both the scalar and vector ZWFS. Firstly, we find that using multiple wavelengths improves the dynamic range of the scalar ZWFS. However, for the vector ZWFS, its already extended range was not further increased. In addition, a multi-wavelength reconstruction allowed us to take advantage of a broader bandpass, which increases the number of available photons, making the reconstruction more robust to photon noise. Finally, multi-wavelength phase unwrapping enabled the measurement of large discontinuities such as petal errors with a trade-off in noise performance.

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Upper limits on CN from exocomets transiting $β$ Pictoris

The young (23 Myr) nearby (19.4 pc) star $β$ Pictoris hosts an edge-on debris disk with two gas giant exoplanets in orbit around it. Many transient absorption features have been detected in the rotationally broadened stellar lines, which are thought to be the coma of infalling exocomets crossing the line of sight towards Earth. In the Solar System, the molecule cynaogen (CN) and its associated ionic species are one of the most detectable molecules in the coma and tails of comets. We perform a search for cyanogen in the spectra of $β$ Pictoris to detect or put an upper limit on this molecule's presence in a young, highly active planetary system. We divide twenty year's worth of HARPS spectra into those with strong exocomet absorption features, and those with only stellar lines. The high signal-to-noise stellar spectrum normalises out the stellar lines in the exocomet spectra, which are then shifted and stacked on the deepest exocomet absorption features to produce a high signal-to-noise exocomet spectrum, and search for the CN band head using a model temperature dependent cross-correlation template. We do not detect CN in our data, and place a temperature and broadening dependent 5$σ$ upper limit between 10$^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$ and 10$^{13}$ cm$^{-2}$, to be compared to the typical 10$^9$ - 10$^{10}$ cm$^{-2}$ expected from scaling of the values in the Solar System comets.

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ASASSN-21js: A multi-year transit of a ringed disc

The early-type star ASASSN-21js started to fade in 2021, as was detected by the All Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae, undergoing a multi-year eclipse that is still underway. We interpret this event as being due to a structured disc of material transiting in front of the star. The disc is in orbit around a substellar object with the mass and luminosity of a brown dwarf or smaller. We want to determine the expected duration and ending date of the eclipse. We modelled a tilted and inclined azimuthally symmetric ring system around an unseen companion and calculated the resulting time-varying light curve as the object transited in front of the star. We made an initial estimate of the ring parameters and used these as inputs to an MCMC algorithm to determine the geometric properties of the rings with associated uncertainties. The model most consistent with the light curve to date is a two-ring system at high inclination with respect to the line of sight that has a semi-major axis of 71.6 stellar radii. With an estimate of the stellar radius, the transverse velocity is around 0.7 km/s, which if bound to the star is an orbit with a semi-major axis of around 13000 au, placing it in the Oort cloud of the parent star. The transit is ongoing and will finish around MJD 61526 (May 1 2027). We encourage the community to continue observing this object in order to understand its properties.

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Direct detectability of tidally heated exomoons by photometric orbital modulation

(Aims) We investigate whether volcanic exomoons can be detected in thermal wavelength light curves due to their phase variability along their orbit. The method we use is based on the photometric signal variability that volcanic features or hotspots would cause in infrared (IR) wavelengths, when they are inhomogeneously distributed on the surface of a tidally heated exomoon (THEM). (Methods) We simulated satellites of various sizes around an isolated planet and modeled the system's variability in two IR wavelengths, taking into account photon shot noise. The moon's periodic signal as it orbits the planet introduces a peak in the frequency space of the system's time-variable flux. We investigated the THEM and system properties that would make a moon stand out in the frequency space of its host's variable flux. (Results) The moon's signal can produce a prominent feature in its host's flux periodogram at shorter IR wavelengths for hotspots with temperatures similar to the ones seen on the Jovian moon, Io, while the same moon would not be identifiable in longer IR wavelengths. By comparing observations at two different wavelengths, we are able to disentangle an exomoon's signal from the planet's one in the frequency domain for system distances up to $\sim$10 pc for Mars-sized exomoons and even further for Earth-sized ones for transiting and non-transiting orbital inclinations. (Conclusions) This method enlarges the parameter space of detectable exomoons around isolated planetary mass objects and directly imaged exoplanets, as it is sensitive to Io-Earth sized exomoons with hot volcanic features for a wide range of non-transiting orbital inclinations. Exomoon transits and the detection of outgassed volcanic molecules can subsequently confirm a putative detection.

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Polarimetric differential imaging with VLT/NACO. A comprehensive PDI pipeline for NACO data (PIPPIN)

The observed diversity of exoplanets can possibly be traced back to the planet formation processes. Planet-disk interactions induce sub-structures in the circumstellar disk that can be revealed via scattered light observations. However, a high-contrast imaging technique such as polarimetric differential imaging (PDI) must first be applied to suppress the stellar diffraction halo. In this work we present the PDI PiPelIne for NACO data (PIPPIN), which reduces the archival polarimetric observations made with the NACO instrument at the Very Large Telescope. Prior to this work, such a comprehensive pipeline to reduce polarimetric NACO data did not exist. We identify a total of 243 datasets of 57 potentially young stellar objects observed before NACO's decommissioning. The PIPPIN pipeline applies various levels of instrumental polarisation correction and is capable of reducing multiple observing setups, including half-wave plate or de-rotator usage and wire-grid observations. A novel template-matching method is applied to assess the detection significance of polarised signals in the reduced data. In 22 of the 57 observed targets, we detect polarised light resulting from a scattering of circumstellar dust. The detections exhibit a collection of known sub-structures, including rings, gaps, spirals, shadows, and in- or outflows of material. Since NACO was equipped with a near-infrared wavefront sensor, it made unique polarimetric observations of a number of embedded protostars. This is the first time detections of the Class I objects Elia 2-21 and YLW 16A have been published. Alongside the outlined PIPPIN pipeline, we publish an archive of the reduced data products, thereby improving the accessibility of these data for future studies.

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Tidally Heated Exomoons around $ε$ Eridani b: Observability and prospects for characterization

Exomoons are expected to orbit gas giant exoplanets just as moons orbit solar system planets. Tidal heating is present in solar system satellites and it can heat up their interior depending on their orbital and interior properties. We aim to identify a Tidally Heated Exomoon's (THEM) orbital parameter space that would make it observable in infrared wavelengths with MIRI/JWST around $ε$ Eridani b. We study the possible constraints on orbital eccentricity and interior properties that a successful THEM detection in infrared wavelengths can bring. We also investigate what exomoon properties need to be independently known in order to place these constraints. We use a coupled thermal-tidal model to find stable equilibrium points between the tidally produced heat and heat transported within a moon. For the latter, we consider a spherical and radially symmetric satellite with heat being transported via magma advection in a sub-layer of melt (asthenosphere) and convection in the lower mantle. We incorporate uncertainties in the interior and tidal model parameters to assess the fraction of simulated moons that would be observable with MIRI. We find that a $2 R_{Io}$ THEM orbiting $ε$ Eridani b with an eccentricity of 0.02, would need to have a semi-major axis of 4 planetary Roche-radii for 100% of the simulations to produce an observable moon. These values are comparable with the orbital properties of gas giant solar system satellites. We place similar constraints for eccentricities up to 0.1. We conclude that if the semi-major axis and radius of the moon are known (eg. with exomoon transits), tidal dissipation can constrain the orbital eccentricity and interior properties of the satellite, such as the presence of melt and the thickness of the melt containing sub-layer.

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The eclipse of the V773 Tau B circumbinary disk

A deep (~70%) and extended (~150 days) eclipse was seen towards the young multiple stellar system V773 Tau in 2010. We interpret it as due to the passage of a circumbinary disk around the B components moving in front of the A components. Our aim is to characterise the orientation and structure of the disk, to refine the orbits of the subcomponents, and to predict when the next eclipse will occur. We combine the photometry from several ground based surveys, construct a model for the light curve of the eclipse, and use high angular resolution imaging to refine the orbits of the three components of the system, A, B and C. Frequency analysis of the light curves, including from the TESS satellite, enables characterisation of the rotational periods of the Aa and Ab stars. A toy model of the circumbinary disk shows that it extends out to approximately 5 au around the B binary and has an inclination of 73 degrees with respect to the orbital plane of AB, where the lower bound of the radius of the disk is constrained by the geometry of the AB orbit and the upper bound is set by the stability of the disk. We identify several frequencies in the photometric data that we attribute to rotational modulation of the Aa and Ab stellar companions. We produce the first determination of the orbit of the more distant C component around the AB system and limit its inclination to 93 degrees. The high inclination and large diameter of the disk, together with the match from theory suggest that B is an almost equal mass, moderately eccentric binary. We identify the rotational periods of the Aa and Ab stars, identify a third frequency in the light curve that we attribute to the orbital period of the stars in the B binary. We predict that the next eclipse will be around 2037, during which both detailed photometric and spectroscopic monitoring will characterise the disk in greater detail.

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Exocomets size distribution in the $β$ Pictoris planetary system

The star $β$ Pictoris harbors a young planetary system, which is characterized by the presence of a gaseous and dusty debris disk, at least two massive planets and many minor bodies. For more than thirty years, exocomets transiting the star have been detected using spectroscopy, probing the gaseous part of the cometary comas and tails. The detection of the dusty component of the tails can be performed through photometric observations of the transits. Since 2018, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has observed $β$ Pic for a total of 156 days. Here we report an analysis of the TESS photometric data set with the identification of a total of 30 transits of exocomets. Our statistical analysis shows that the number of transiting exocomet events ($N$) as a function of the absorption depth ($AD$) in the light curve follows a power law in the form $dN(AD) \propto AD^{-α}$, where $α=2.3\pm 0.4$. This distribution of absorption depth leads to a differential comet size distribution proportional to $R^{-γ}$, where $γ=3.6 \pm 0.8$, showing a striking similarity to the size distribution of comets in the Solar system and the distribution of a collisionally relaxed population ($γ_{\rm D}= 3.5$).

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K2 Discovery of a Circumsecondary Disk Transiting EPIC 220208795

Observations of the star EPIC 220208795 (2MASS J01105556+0018507) reveal a single, deep and asymmetric eclipse, which we hypothesize is due to an eclipsing companion surrounded by a tilted and inclined opaque disk, similar to those seen around V928 Tau and EPIC 204376071. We aim to derive physical parameters of the disk and orbital parameters for the companion around the primary star. The modeling is carried out using a modified version of the python package pyPplusS, and optimization is done using emcee. The period analysis makes use of photometry from ground-based surveys, where we perform a period folding search for other possible eclipses by the disk. Parameters obtained by the best model fits are used to obtain the parameter space of the orbital parameters, while the most likely period obtained is used to constrain these parameters. The best model has an opaque disk with a radius of $1.14\pm0.03$ $R_{\odot}$, an impact parameter of $0.61\pm0.02$ $R_{\odot}$, an inclination of $77.01^{\circ}\pm0.03^{\circ}$, a tilt of $36.81^{\circ}\pm0.05^{\circ}$ and a transverse velocity of $77.45\pm0.05$ km s$^{-1}$. The two most likely periods are $\sim 290$ days and $\sim 236$ days, corresponding to an eccentricity of $\sim 0.7$, allowing us to make predictions for the epochs of the next eclipses. All models with tilted and inclined disks result in a minimum derived eccentricity of 0.3, which in combination with the two other known small transiting disk candidates V928 Tau and EPIC 204376071, suggest that there may be a common origin for their eccentric orbits.

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Lessons learned from SPHERE for the astrometric strategy of the next generation of exoplanet imaging instruments

Measuring the orbits of directly-imaged exoplanets requires precise astrometry at the milliarcsec level over long periods of time due to their wide separation to the stars ($\gtrsim$10 au) and long orbital period ($\gtrsim$20 yr). To reach this challenging goal, a specific strategy was implemented for the instrument Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch (SPHERE), the first dedicated exoplanet imaging instrument at the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory (ESO). A key part of this strategy relies on the astrometric stability of the instrument over time. We monitored for five years the evolution of the optical distortion, pixel scale, and orientation to the True North of SPHERE images using the near-infrared instrument IRDIS. We show that the instrument calibration achieves a positional stability of $\sim$1 mas over 2$"$ field of views. We also discuss the SPHERE astrometric strategy, issues encountered in the course of the on-sky operations, and lessons learned for the next generation of exoplanet imaging instruments on the Extremely Large Telescope being built by ESO.

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A search for transiting companions in the J1407 (V1400 Cen) system

In 2007, the young star 1SWASP J140747.93-394542.6 (V1400 Cen) underwent a complex series of deep eclipses over 56 days. This was attributed to the transit of a ring system filling a large fraction of the Hill sphere of an unseen substellar companion. Subsequent photometric monitoring has not found any other deep transits from this candidate ring system, but if there are more substellar companions and they are coplanar with the potential ring system, there is a chance that they will transit the star as well. This young star is active and the light curves show a 5% modulation in amplitude with a dominant rotation period of 3.2 days due to star spots rotating in and out of view. We model and remove the rotational modulation of the J1407 light curve and search for additional transit signatures of substellar companions orbiting around J1407. We combine the photometry of J1407 from several observatories, spanning a 19 year baseline. We remove the rotational modulation by modeling the variability as a periodic signal, whose periodicity changes slowly with time over several years due to the activity cycle of the star. A Transit Least Squares (TLS) analysis searches for any periodic transiting signals within the cleaned light curve. We identify an activity cycle of J1407 with a period of 5.4 years. A Transit Least Squares search does not find any plausible periodic eclipses in the light curve, from 1.2% amplitude at 5 days up to 1.9% at 20 days. This sensitivity is confirmed by injecting artificial transits into the light curve and determining the recovery fraction as a function of transit depth and orbital period. J1407 is confirmed as a young active star with an activity cycle consistent with a rapidly rotating solar mass star. With the rotational modulation removed, the TLS analysis rules out transiting companions with radii larger than about 1 Jupiter.

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A MUSE view of the asymmetric jet from HD 163296

Jets and outflows are thought to play important roles in regulating star formation and disk evolution. HD 163296 is a well-studied Herbig Ae star that hosts proto-planet candidates, a protoplanetary disk, a protostellar jet, and a molecular outflow, which makes it an excellent laboratory for studying jets. We aim to characterize the jet at the inner regions and check if there are large differences with the features at large separations. A secondary objective is to demonstrate the performance of Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) in high-contrast imaging of extended line emission. MUSE in the narrow field mode (NFM) can provide observations at optical wavelengths with high spatial ($\sim$75 mas) and medium spectral ($R\sim$2500) resolution. With the high-resolution spectral differential imaging (HRSDI) technique, we can characterize the kinematic structures and physical conditions of jets down to 100 mas. We detect multiple atomic lines in two new knots, B3 and A4, at distances of <4" from the host star with MUSE. The derived $\dot{M}_{\rm jet} / \dot{M}_{\rm acc}$ is about 0.08 and 0.06 for knots B3 and A4, respectively. The observed [Ca II]/[S II] ratios indicate that there is no sign of dust grains at distances of <4". Assuming the knot A4 traces the streamline, we set an upper limit of 2.2 au on the size of the launching region. Although MUSE has the ability to detect the velocity shifts caused by high- and low-velocity components, we found no significant evidence of velocity decrease transverse to the jet direction. Our work demonstrates the capability of using MUSE NFM observations for the detailed study of stellar jets in the optical down to 100~mas. The derived $\dot{M}_{\rm jet} / \dot{M}_{\rm acc}$, no dust grain, and jet radius at the star support the magneto-centrifugal models as a launching mechanism for the jet.

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High-precision astrometric studies in direct imaging with SPHERE

Orbital monitoring of exoplanetary and stellar systems is fundamental for analysing their architecture, dynamical stability and evolution, and mechanisms of formation. Current high-contrast extreme-adaptive optics imagers like SPHERE, GPI, and SCExAO+CHARIS explore the population of giant exoplanets and brown dwarf and stellar companions beyond typically 10 au, covering generally a small fraction of the orbit (<20%) leading to degeneracies and biases in the orbital parameters. Precise and robust measurements over time of the position of the companions are critical, which require good knowledge of the instrumental limitations and dedicated observing strategies. The homogeneous dedicated calibration strategy for astrometry implemented for SPHERE has facilitated high-precision studies by its users since its start of operation in 2014. As the precision of exoplanet imaging instruments is now reaching milliarcseconds and is expected to improve with the upcoming facilities, we initiated a community effort, triggered by the SPHERE experience, to share lessons learned for high-precision astrometry in direct imaging. A homogeneous strategy would strongly benefit the VLT community, in synergy with VLTI instruments like GRAVITY/GRAVITY+, future instruments like ERIS and MAVIS, and in preparation for the exploitation of the ELT's first instruments MICADO, HARMONI, and METIS.

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