Abstract:

SPHERE (Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch) is the newest generation high resolution optical and near infrared imager at ESO's Very Large Telescope site in the Chilean Atacama dessert. The instrument is coupled to an extreme adaptive optics system to correct for light distortion by the atmosphere. Mainly build for the hunt for extrasolar planets, SPHERE has proven since the start of operations in late 2014 that it is able to deliver stunning images of the circumstellar environment of nearby stars. The talk will aim to give an overview over recent results, specifically concerning young disks that are thought to be in the process of forming planets. Differential imaging techniques necessary for these observations will be briefly introduced. The results of SPHERE will be put in context to other near infrared scattered light observations as well as recent results from the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimetre Array) observatory.