SPHERE RefPlanets: Search for epsilon Eridani b and warm dust
C. Tschudi, H.M. Schmid, M. Nowak, H. Le Coroller, S. Hunziker, R.G., van Holstein, C. Perrot, D. Mouillet, J.-C. Augereau, A. Bazzon, J.L. Beuzit,, A. Boccaletti, M.J. Bonse, G. Chauvin, S. Desidera, K. Dohlen, C. Dominik, N., Engler, M. Feldt, J.H. Girard, R. Gratton

TL;DR
This study used advanced polarimetric imaging techniques with VLT/SPHERE to search for exoplanets and circumstellar dust around epsilon Eridani, achieving unprecedented contrast limits that constrain dust presence and planetary detection capabilities.
Contribution
The paper introduces improved data reduction and post-processing methods for polarimetric imaging, enhancing sensitivity and contrast limits in the search for exoplanets and dust.
Findings
No detection of a planet or dust signal was made.
Contrast limits reached as low as 8 x 10^-9 at 1''.
Constraints exclude narrow dust rings and inform dust properties.
Abstract
We carried out very deep VLT/SPHERE imaging polarimetry of the nearby system Eps Eri based on 38.5 hours of integration time with a 600 - 900 nm broadband filter to search for polarized scattered light from a planet or from circumstellar dust using AO, coronagraphy, high precision differential polarimetry, and angular differential imaging. We have improved several data reduction and post-processing techniques and also developed new ones to further increase the sensitivity of SPHERE/ZIMPOL. The data provide unprecedented contrast limits, but no significant detection of a point source or an extended signal from circumstellar dust. For each observing epoch, we obtained a point source contrast for the polarized intensity between and at the expected separation of the planet Eps Eri b of 1'' near quadrature phase. The polarimetric contrast limits are about…
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