Institute for Advanced Study/Princeton University Joint Astrophysics Colloquium

Advances in adaptive optics and infrared instrumentation now enable us to see young exoplanets millions of times fainter than their host stars. By collecting photons emitted by these worlds, imaging allows us to measure the chemistry and physical states of their atmospheres. Now, a new generation of experiments is combining upgraded adaptive optics with integral-field spectrographs (IFSs) to discover and characterize fainter worlds closer to their host stars. I will present the results of recent high-contrast surveys and the scientific promise of this new generation of instruments, with a particular focus on the CHARIS IFS for the Subaru telescope. CHARIS will be the only instrument of its class in the northern hemisphere and will have the broadest spectral coverage of any high-contrast IFS; it will provide unique sensitivity to close-in exoplanets and present new data analysis challenges. CHARIS is now being built and will begin operations this summer. It will commence its first two year, 20 night survey in early 2017, taking spectra of giant exoplanets and searching about 100 stars for new companions.