Untitled - Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de l'Observatoire de Grenoble

10.1.3 Current trend of large equipments
For our strategy, it is crucial to analyze the current long-term evolution towards larger and larger equipments.
30-60m large optical telescopes and large ground or space interferometers are prominent projects in the domain
of interest for us, and will probably largely impact the future development priorities at national levels and
further.
To stay within the instrumental domain defined above, it must be noted that this new generation of projects
includes the following instrumental cases :
• coronographic extreme-AO mono-pupil imaging (VLT-PF, EPICS) or nulling interferometers (PEGASE
or ALLADIN, DARWIN) to get access to very faint nearby features or companions
• arrays with large number of telescopes allowing for better u,v-plane coverage (VITRUV, KEOPS)
• kilometric arrays (ground or space) for access to extremely high angular resolution (OHANA-type modes,
KEOPS)
10.1.4 Increasing networking process
Another crucial aspect of the context is the continuing networking process at work at various levels. Within
Europe, thanks to the political will, new tools were made accessible to research within the 5th and 6th framework
programs (FP5, FP6) notably. A I3 network, OPTICON, has permitted to finance several international
collaborations connected to this discussion, for AO, fast-detectors and interferometry software development for
instance. Recently an additional but smaller network, ARENA, has been accepted for specific preparation of
the Antarctic use by astronomers.
The prospect of the 7th framework program (FP7) being even better financed lets anticipate that part of our
activities might be supported by such European funds.
At the national level, an important structuration is also at work, with for instance the ”action spécifique” HRA
(ASHRA) that provides projects evaluation (before funding) for INSU. A very successful result is to be found in
the creation of the JMMC, a national network intended to provide software tools to the general User of optical
interferometers. It must be mentioned that we are involved in a network (through ANR fund request) dedicated
to medication applications of adaptive optics techniques.
10.2 Strategy
10.2.1 Well defined priorities
We intend to follow the same direction as during the current ”quadrennial contract” that is focused on compact
sources and specially the nearby stellar environment and their planets, but with a further emphasis on research
and study of extra-solar planets, planetary systems and their formation. In this way, while fulfilling some needs
of all teams, as previously seen, we give more attention to an important objective of the FOST team with the
belief that LAOG may bring an important and visible contribution to the field.
As seen above, the result of this choice lies on three distinct families of observational capabilities:
• very high contrast imaging using coronographic AO systems or nulling interferometers, depending on the
angular resolution needed,
• imaging capabilities of complex objects at high angular resolution calling for arrays with a larger number
of telescopes than present-day interferometers,
• extremely high angular resolution only accessible through kilometric-size type arrays (on the ground or in
space).
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