arXiv subjects

T. Henning

Publications and source records attributed to T. Henning.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

The VLT/NaCo large program to probe the occurrence of exoplanets and brown dwarfs at wide orbits. III. The frequency of brown dwarfs and giant planets as companions to solar-type stars

In recent years there have been many attempts to characterize the occurrence of stellar, BD and planetary-mass companions to solar-type stars, with the aim of constraining formation mechanisms. From RV observations a dearth of companions with masses between 10-40 MJup has been noticed at close separations, suggesting the possibility of a distinct formation mechanism for objects above and below this range. We present a model for the substellar companion mass function (CMF). It consists of the superposition of the planet and BD companion mass distributions, assuming that we can extrapolate the RV measured companion mass function for planets to larger separations and the stellar companion mass-ratio distribution over all separations into the BD mass regime. By using both the results of the VLT/NaCo large program and the complementary archive datasets that probe the occurrence of planets and BDs on wide orbits around solar-type stars, we place some constraints on the planet and BD distributions. We developed a MC simulation tool to predict the outcome of a given survey, depending on the shape of the orbital parameter distributions. Comparing the predictions with the results of the observations, we calculate how likely different models are and which can be ruled out. Current observations are consistent with the proposed model for the CMF, as long as a sufficiently small outer truncation radius is introduced for the planet separation distribution. The results of the direct imaging surveys searching for substellar companions around Sun-like stars are consistent with a combined substellar mass spectrum of planets and BDs. This mass distribution has a minimum between 10 and 50 MJup, in agreement with RV measurements. The dearth of objects in this mass range would naturally arise from the shape of the mass distribution, without the introduction of any distinct formation mechanism for BDs.

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arXiv2015

HATS-17b: A Transiting Compact Warm Jupiter in a 16.3 Days Circular Orbit

We report the discovery of HATS-17b, the first transiting warm Jupiter of the HATSouth network. HATS-17b transits its bright (V=12.4) G-type (M$_{\star}$=1.131 $\pm$ 0.030 M$_{\odot}$, R$_{\star}$=1.091$^{+0.070}_{-0.046}$ R$_{\star}$) metal-rich ([Fe/H]=+0.3 dex) host star in a circular orbit with a period of P=16.2546 days. HATS-17b has a very compact radius of 0.777 $\pm$ 0.056 R$_J$ given its Jupiter-like mass of 1.338 $\pm$ 0.065 M$_J$. Up to 50% of the mass of HATS-17b may be composed of heavy elements in order to explain its high density with current models of planetary structure. HATS-17b is the longest period transiting planet discovered to date by a ground-based photometric survey, and is one of the brightest transiting warm Jupiter systems known. The brightness of HATS-17b will allow detailed follow-up observations to characterize the orbital geometry of the system and the atmosphere of the planet.

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arXiv2015

A narrow, edge-on disk resolved around HD 106906 with SPHERE

HD~106906AB is so far the only young binary system around which a planet has been imaged and a debris disk evidenced thanks to a strong IR excess. As such, it represents a unique opportunity to study the dynamics of young planetary systems. We aim at further investigating the close (tens of au scales) environment of the HD~106906AB system. We used the extreme AO fed, high contrast imager SPHERE recently installed on the VLT to observe HD~106906. Both the IRDIS imager and the Integral Field Spectrometer were used. We discovered a very inclined, ring-like disk at a distance of 65~au from the star. The disk shows a strong brightness asymmetry with respect to its semi-major axis. It shows a smooth outer edge, compatible with ejection of small grains by the stellar radiation pressure. We show furthermore that the planet's projected position is significantly above the disk's PA. Given the determined disk inclination, it is not excluded though that the planet could still orbit within the disk plane if at a large separation (2000--3000 au). We identified several additional point sources in the SPHERE/IRDIS field-of-view, that appear to be background objects. We compare this system with other debris disks sharing similarities, and we briefly discuss the present results in the framework of dynamical evolution.

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arXiv2015

HATS-7b: A Hot Super Neptune Transiting a Quiet K Dwarf Star

IW ../submit_V2/abstract.txt ( Row 1 Col 1 6:48 Ctrl-K H for help We report the discovery by the HATSouth network of HATS-7b, a transiting Super-Neptune with a mass of 0.120+/-0.012MJ, a radius of 0.563+/-(0.046,0.034)RJ, and an orbital period of 3.1853days. The host star is a moderately bright (V=13.340+/-0.010mag, K_S=10.976+/-0.026mag) K dwarf star with a mass of 0.849+/-0.027Msun , a radius of 0.815+/-(0.049,-0.035)Rsun, and a metallicity of [Fe/H]=+0.250+/-0.080. The star is photometrically quiet to within the precision of the HATSouth measurements and has low RV jitter. HATS-7b is the second smallest radius planet discovered by a wide-field ground-based transit survey, and one of only a handful of Neptune-size planets with mass and radius determined to 10% precision. Theoretical modeling of HATS-7b yields a hydrogen-helium fraction of 18+/-4% (rock-iron core and H2-He envelope), or 9+/-4% (ice core and H2-He envelope), i.e.it has a composition broadly similar to that of Uranus and Neptune, and very different from that of Saturn, which has 75% of its mass in H2-He. Based on a sample of transiting exoplanets with accurately (<20%) determined parameters, we establish approximate power-law relations for the envelopes of the mass-density distribution of exoplanets. HATS-7b, which, together with the recently discovered HATS-8b, is one of the first two transiting super-Neptunes discovered in the Southern sky, is a prime target for additional follow-up observations with Southern hemisphere facilities to characterize the atmospheres of Super-Neptunes (which we define as objects with mass greater than that of Neptune, and smaller than halfway between that of Neptune and Saturn, i.e. 0.054 MJ<Mp<0.18 MJ).

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arXiv2015

Hunting for brown dwarf binaries and testing atmospheric models with X-Shooter

The determination of the brown dwarf binary fraction may contribute to the understanding of the substellar formation mechanisms. Unresolved brown dwarf binaries may be revealed through their peculiar spectra or the discrepancy between optical and near-infrared spectral type classification. We obtained medium-resolution spectra of 22 brown dwarfs with these characteristics using the X-Shooter spectrograph at the VLT. We aimed to identify brown dwarf binary candidates, and to test if the BT-Settl 2014 atmospheric models reproduce their observed spectra. To find binaries spanning the L-T boundary, we used spectral indices and compared the spectra of the selected candidates to single spectra and synthetic binary spectra. We used synthetic binary spectra with components of same spectral type to determine as well the sensitivity of the method to this class of binaries. We identified three candidates to be combination of L plus T brown dwarfs. We are not able to identify binaries with components of similar spectral type. In our sample, we measured minimum binary fraction of $9.1^{+9.9}_{-3.0}$. From the best fit of the BT-Settl models 2014 to the observed spectra, we derived the atmospheric parameters for the single objects. The BT-Settl models were able to reproduce the majority of the SEDs from our objects, and the variation of the equivalent width of the RbI (794.8 nm) and CsI (852.0 nm) lines with the spectral type. Nonetheless, these models did not reproduce the evolution of the equivalent widths of the NaI (818.3 nm and 819.5 nm) and KI (1253 nm) lines with the spectral type.

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arXiv2015

Scattered light images of spiral arms in marginally gravitationally unstable discs with an embedded planet

Scattered light images of transition discs in the near-infrared often show non-axisymmetric structures in the form of wide-open spiral arms in addition to their characteristic low-opacity inner gap region. We study self-gravitating discs and investigate the influence of gravitational instability on the shape and contrast of spiral arms induced by planet-disc interactions. Two-dimensional non-isothermal hydrodynamical simulations including viscous heating and a cooling prescription are combined with three-dimensional dust continuum radiative transfer models for direct comparison to observations. We find that the resulting contrast between the spirals and the surrounding disc in scattered light is by far higher for pressure scale height variations, i.e. thermal perturbations, than for pure surface density variations. Self-gravity effects suppress any vortex modes and tend to reduce the opening angle of planet-induced spirals, making them more tightly wound. If the disc is only marginally gravitationally stable with a Toomre parameter around unity, an embedded massive planet (planet-to-star mass ratio of $10^{-2}$) can trigger gravitational instability in the outer disc. The spirals created by this instability and the density waves launched by the planet can overlap resulting in large-scale, more open spiral arms in the outer disc. The contrast of these spirals is well above the detection limit of current telescopes.

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arXiv2015

Relationship between the column density distribution and evolutionary class of molecular clouds as viewed by ATLASGAL

We present the first study of the relationship between the column density distribution of molecular clouds within nearby Galactic spiral arms and their evolutionary status as measured from their stellar content. We analyze a sample of 195 molecular clouds located at distances below 5.5 kpc, identified from the ATLASGAL 870 micron data. We define three evolutionary classes within this sample: starless clumps, star-forming clouds with associated young stellar objects, and clouds associated with HII regions. We find that the N(H2) probability density functions (N-PDFs) of these three classes of objects are clearly different: the N-PDFs of starless clumps are narrowest and close to log-normal in shape, while star-forming clouds and HII regions exhibit a power-law shape over a wide range of column densities and log-normal-like components only at low column densities. We use the N-PDFs to estimate the evolutionary time-scales of the three classes of objects based on a simple analytic model from literature. Finally, we show that the integral of the N-PDFs, the dense gas mass fraction, depends on the total mass of the regions as measured by ATLASGAL: more massive clouds contain greater relative amounts of dense gas across all evolutionary classes.

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arXiv2015

HATS-8b: A Low-Density Transiting Super-Neptune

HATS-8b is a low density transiting super-Neptune discovered as part of the HATSouth project. The planet orbits its solar-like G dwarf host (V=14.03 $\pm$ 0.10 and T$_{eff}$ =5679 $\pm$ 50 K) with a period of 3.5839 d. HATS-8b is the third lowest mass transiting exoplanet to be discovered from a wide-field ground based search, and with a mass of 0.138 $\pm$ 0.019 M$_J$ it is approximately half-way between the masses of Neptune and Saturn. However HATS-8b has a radius of 0.873 (+0.123,-0.075) R$_J$, resulting in a bulk density of just 0.259 $\pm$ 0.091 g.cm$^{-3}$. The metallicity of the host star is super-Solar ([Fe/H]=0.210 $\pm$ 0.080), arguing against the idea that low density exoplanets form from metal-poor environments. The low density and large radius of HATS-8b results in an atmospheric scale height of almost 1000 km, and in addition to this there is an excellent reference star of near equal magnitude at just 19 arcsecond separation on the sky. These factors make HATS-8b an exciting target for future atmospheric characterization studies, particularly for long-slit transmission spectroscopy.

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arXiv2015

Asymmetric features in the protoplanetary disk MWC758

The study of dynamical processes in protoplanetary disks is essential to understand planet formation. In this context, transition disks are prime targets because they are at an advanced stage of disk clearing and may harbor direct signatures of disk evolution. In this paper, we aim to derive new constraints on the structure of the transition disk MWC 758, to detect non-axisymmetric features and understand their origin. We obtained infrared polarized intensity observations of the protoplanetary disk MWC 758 with SPHERE/VLT at 1.04 microns to resolve scattered light at a smaller inner working angle (0.093") and a higher angular resolution (0.027") than previously achieved. We observe polarized scattered light within 0.53" (148 au) down to the inner working angle (26 au) and detect distinct non-axisymmetric features but no fully depleted cavity. The two small-scale spiral features that were previously detected with HiCIAO are resolved more clearly, and new features are identified, including two that are located at previously inaccessible radii close to the star. We present a model based on the spiral density wave theory with two planetary companions in circular orbits. The best model requires a high disk aspect ratio (H/r~0.20 at the planet locations) to account for the large pitch angles which implies a very warm disk. Our observations reveal the complex morphology of the disk MWC758. To understand the origin of the detected features, the combination of high-resolution observations in the submillimeter with ALMA and detailed modeling is needed.

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arXiv2015

THOR - The HI, OH, Recombination Line Survey of the Milky Way - The pilot study: HI observations of the giant molecular cloud W43

To study the atomic, molecular and ionized emission of Giant Molecular Clouds (GMCs), we have initiated a Large Program with the VLA: 'THOR - The HI, OH, Recombination Line survey of the Milky Way'. We map the 21cm HI line, 4 OH lines, 19 H_alpha recombination lines and the continuum from 1 to 2 GHz of a significant fraction of the Milky Way (l=15-67deg, |b|<1deg) at ~20" resolution. In this paper, we focus on the HI emission from the W43 star-formation complex. Classically, the HI 21cm line is treated as optically thin with column densities calculated under this assumption. This might give reasonable results for regions of low-mass star-formation, however, it is not sufficient to describe GMCs. We analyzed strong continuum sources to measure the optical depth, and thus correct the HI 21cm emission for optical depth effects and weak diffuse continuum emission. Hence, we are able to measure the HI mass of W43 more accurately and our analysis reveals a lower limit of M=6.6x10^6 M_sun, which is a factor of 2.4 larger than the mass estimated with the assumption of optically thin emission. The HI column densities are as high as N(HI)~150 M_sun/pc^2 ~ 1.9x10^22 cm^-2, which is an order of magnitude higher than for low mass star formation regions. This result challenges theoretical models that predict a threshold for the HI column density of ~10 M_sun/pc^2, at which the formation of molecular hydrogen should set in. By assuming an elliptical layered structure for W43, we estimate the particle density profiles. While at the cloud edge atomic and molecular hydrogen are well mixed, the center of the cloud is strongly dominated by molecular hydrogen. We do not identify a sharp transition between hydrogen in atomic and molecular form. Our results are an important characterization of the atomic to molecular hydrogen transition in an extreme environment and challenges current theoretical models.

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arXiv2015

HATS-9b and HATS-10b: Two Compact Hot Jupiters in Field 7 of the K2 Mission

We report the discovery of two transiting extrasolar planets by the HATSouth survey. HATS-9b orbits an old (10.8 $\pm$ 1.5 Gyr) V=13.3 G dwarf star, with a period P = 1.9153 d. The host star has a mass of 1.03 M$_{\odot}$, radius of 1.503 R$_\odot$ and effective temperature 5366 $\pm$ 70 K. The planetary companion has a mass of 0.837 M$_J$, and radius of 1.065 R$_J$ yielding a mean density of 0.85 g cm$^{-3}$ . HATS-10b orbits a V=13.1 G dwarf star, with a period P = 3.3128 d. The host star has a mass of 1.1 M$_\odot$, radius of 1.11 R$_\odot$ and effective temperature 5880 $\pm$ 120 K. The planetary companion has a mass of 0.53 M$_J$, and radius of 0.97 R$_J$ yielding a mean density of 0.7 g cm$^{-3}$ . Both planets are compact in comparison with planets receiving similar irradiation from their host stars, and lie in the nominal coordinates of Field 7 of K2 but only HATS-9b falls on working silicon. Future characterisation of HATS-9b with the exquisite photometric precision of the Kepler telescope may provide measurements of its reflected light signature.

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arXiv2015

A 0.24+0.18 Msun double-lined eclipsing binary from the HATSouth survey

We report the discovery and characterisation of a new M-dwarf binary, with component masses and radii of M1 = 0.244 -0.003/+0.003 Msun, R1 = 0.261 -0.009/+0.006 Rsun, M2 = 0.179 -0.001/+0.002 Msun, R2 = 0.218 -0.011/+0.007 Rsun, and orbital period of ~4.1 days. The M-dwarf binary HATS551-027 (LP 837-20) was identified as an eclipsing binary by the HATSouth survey, and characterised by a series of high precision photometric observations of the eclipse events, and spectroscopic determinations of the atmospheric parameters and radial velocity orbits. HATS551-027 is one of few systems with both stellar components lying in the fully-convective regime of very low mass stars, and can serve as a test for stellar interior models. The radius of HATS551-027A is consistent with models to 1 sigma, whilst HATS551-027B is inflated by 9% at 2 sigma significance. We measure the effective temperatures for the two stellar components to be Teff,1 = 3190 +/- 100 K and Teff,2 = 2990+/-110 K, both are slightly cooler than theoretical models predict, but consistent with other M-dwarfs of similar masses that have previously been studied. We also measure significant Halpha emission from both components of the binary system, and discuss this in the context of the correlation between stellar activity and the discrepancies between the observed and model temperatures.

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arXiv2015

Discovery of a Disk Gap Candidate at 20 AU in TW Hydrae

We present a new Subaru/HiCIAO high-contrast H-band polarized intensity (PI) image of a nearby transitional disk associated with TW Hydrae. The scattered light from the disk was detected from 0.2" to 1.5" (11 - 81 AU) and the PI image shows a clear axisymmetric depression in polarized intensity at ~ 0.4" (~ 20 AU) from the central star, similar to the ~ 80 AU gap previously reported from HST images. Azimuthal polarized intensity profile also shows the disk beyond 0.2" is almost axisymmetric. We discuss two possible scenarios explaining the origin of the polarized intensity depression: 1) a gap structure may exist at ~ 20 AU from the central star because of shallow slope seen in the polarized intensity profile, and 2) grain growth may be occurring in the inner region of the disk. Multi-band observations at NIR and millimeter/sub-millimeter wavelengths play a complementary role in investigating dust opacity and may help reveal the origin of the gap more precisely.

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arXiv2015

Performance of the VLT Planet Finder SPHERE II. Data analysis and Results for IFS in laboratory

We present the performance of the Integral Field Spectrograph (IFS) of SPHERE, the high-contrast imager for the ESO VLT telescope designed to perform imaging and spectroscopy of extrasolar planets, obtained from tests performed at the Institute de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble facility during the integration phase of the instrument.} {The tests were performed using the instrument software purposely prepared for SPHERE. The output data were reduced applying the SPHERE data reduction and handling software, adding an improved spectral deconvolution procedure. To this aim, we prepared an alternative procedure for the spectral subtraction exploiting the principal components analysis algorithm. Moreover, a simulated angular differential imaging procedure was also implemented to estimate how the instrument performed once this procedure was applied at telescope. The capability of the IFS to faithfully retrieve the spectra of the detected faint companions was also considered.} {We found that the application of the updated version of the spectral deconvolution procedure alone, when the algorithm throughput is properly taken into account, gives us a $5σ$ limiting contrast of the order of 5$\times$$10^{-6}$ or slightly better. The further application of the angular differential imaging procedure on these data should allow us to improve the contrast by one order of magnitude down to around 7$\times$$10^{-7}$ at a separation of 0.3 arcsec. The application of a principal components analysis procedure that simultaneously uses spectral and angular data gives comparable results. Finally, we found that the reproducibility of the spectra of the detected faint companions is greatly improved when angular differential imaging is applied in addition to the spectral deconvolution.

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arXiv2015

The LEECH Exoplanet Imaging Survey. Further constraints on the planet architecture of the HR 8799 system

Context. Astrometric monitoring of directly-imaged exoplanets allows the study of their orbital parameters and system architectures. Because most directly-imaged planets have long orbital periods (>20 AU), accurate astrometry is challenging when based on data acquired on timescales of a few years and usually with different instruments. The LMIRCam camera on the LBT is being used for the LEECH survey to search for and characterize young and adolescent exoplanets in L' band, including their system architectures. Aims. We first aim to provide a good astrometric calibration of LMIRCam. Then, we derive new astrometry, test the predictions of the orbital model of 8:4:2:1 mean motion resonance proposed by Goździewski & Migaszewski, and perform new orbital fitting of the HR 8799 bcde planets. We also present deep limits on a putative fifth planet interior to the known planets. Methods. We use observations of HR 8799 and the Theta1 Ori C field obtained during the same run in October 2013. Results. We first characterize the distortion of LMIRCam. We determine a platescale and a true north orientation for the images of 10.707 +/- 0.012 mas/pix and -0.430 +/- 0.076 deg, respectively. The errors on the platescale and true north orientation translate into astrometric accuracies at a separation of 1 of 1.1 mas and 1.3 mas, respectively. The measurements for all planets are usually in agreement within 3 sigma with the ephemeris predicted by Goździewski & Migaszewski. The orbital fitting based on the new astrometric measurements favors an architecture for the planetary system based on 8:4:2:1 mean motion resonance. The detection limits allow us to exclude a fifth planet slightly brighter/more massive than HR 8799 b at the location of the 2:1 resonance with HR 8799 e (~9.5 AU) and about twice as bright as HR 8799 cde at the location of the 3:1 resonance with HR 8799 e (~7.5 AU).

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arXiv2015

The GAPS Programme with HARPS-N@TNG VI: The Curious Case of TrES-4b

We revisit the TrES-4 system parameters based on high-precision HARPS-N radial-velocity measurements and new photometric light curves. A combined spectroscopic and photometric analysis allows us to determine a spectroscopic orbit with an amplitude $K=51\pm3$ m s$^{-1}$. The derived mass of TrES-4b is found to be $M_{\rm p} = 0.49\pm0.04 \rm M_{Jup}$, significantly lower than previously reported. Combined with the large radius ($R_{\rm p} = 1.84_{-0.09}^{+0.08} \rm R_{Jup}$) inferred from our analysis, TrES-4b becomes the second-lowest density transiting hot Jupiter known. We discuss several scenarios to explain the puzzling discrepancy in the mass of TrES-4b in the context of the exotic class of highly inflated transiting giant planets.

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arXiv2014

Exoplanet Science with the European Extremely Large Telescope. The Case for Visible and Near-IR Spectroscopy at High Resolution

Exoplanet science is booming. In 20 years our knowledge has expanded considerably, from the first discovery of a Hot Jupiter, to the detection of a large population of Neptunes and super-Earths, to the first steps toward the characterization of exoplanet atmospheres. Between today and 2025, the field will evolve at an even faster pace with the advent of several space-based transit search missions, ground-based spectrographs, high-contrast imaging facilities, and the James Webb Space Telescope. Especially the ESA M-class PLATO mission will be a game changer in the field. From 2024 onwards, PLATO will find transiting terrestrial planets orbiting within the habitable zones of nearby, bright stars. These objects will require the power of Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs) to be characterized further. The technique of ground-based high-resolution spectroscopy is establishing itself as a crucial pathway to measure chemical composition, atmospheric structure and atmospheric circulation in transiting exoplanets. A high-resolution spectrograph covering the visible and near-IR domains, mounted on the European ELT, will be able to detect molecules such as water vapour, carbon dioxide and oxygen in the atmospheres of habitable planets under favourable circumstances. E-ELT HiRES is the perfect ground-based match to the PLATO space mission and represents a unique opportunity for Europe to lead the world into the era of exploration of exoplanets with habitable conditions. HiRES will also be extremely complementary to other E-ELT planned instruments specialising in different kinds of planets, such as METIS and EPICS.

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arXiv2014

Performance of the VLT Planet Finder SPHERE I. Photometry and astrometry precision with IRDIS and IFS in laboratory

The new planet finder for the Very Large Telescope (VLT), the Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch (SPHERE), just had its first light in Paranal. A dedicated instrument for the direct detection of planets, SPHERE, is composed of a polametric camera in visible light, the Zurich IMager POLarimeter (ZIMPOL), and two near-infrared sub-systems: the Infra-Red Dual-beam Imager and Spectrograph (IRDIS), a multi-purpose camera for imaging, polarimetry, and long-slit spectroscopy, and the integral field spectrograph (IFS), an integral field spectrograph. We present the results obtained from the analysis of data taken during the laboratory integration and validation phase, after the injection of synthetic planets. Since no continuous field rotation could be performed in the laboratory, this analysis presents results obtained using reduction techniques that do not use the angular differential imaging (ADI) technique. To perform the simulations, we used the instrumental point spread function (PSF) and model spectra of L and T-type objects scaled in contrast with respect to the host star. We evaluated the expected error in astrometry and photometry as a function of the signal to noise of companions, after spectral differential imaging (SDI) reduction for IRDIS and spectral deconvolution (SD) or principal component analysis (PCA) data reductions for IFS. We deduced from our analysis, for example, that $β$Picb, a 12~Myr old planet of $\sim$10~\MJ and semi-major axis of 9--10 AU, would be detected with IRDIS with a photometric error of 0.16~mag and with a relative astrometric position error of 1.1~mas. With IFS, we could retrieve a spectrum with error bars of about 0.15~mag on each channel and astrometric relative position error of 0.6~mas. For a fainter object such as HR8799d, a 13~\MJ planet at a distance of 27~AU, IRDIS could obtain a relative astrometric error of 3~mas.

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