Thesis Supervisor: Dimitri Mawet
Abstract
SPHERE is a suite of 3 high contrast imaging instruments coupled to a high-order adaptive optics system, and is fully dedicated to exoplanet studies. SPHERE will arrive at Paranal in 2012, and will be the subject of intensive characterization and science verification efforts. This project will focus on the characterization of the dual-beam imager IRDIS, and how to fine tune the corresponding observing and data reduction strategy to the detection and photometric characterization of exoplanets in disks.