Final Report Summary - WAVELENGTH STANDARDS (Development of new wavelength standards for the searchfor habitable planets)
In this project, we developed novel strategies for accurate calibration of astronomical spectroscopic observations, which are crucial, for example, for the search for and characterization of extrasolar planets. In particular, we devised strategies for near-infrared spectroscopy tailored for the stars in our closest neighborhood. A number of different strategies were developed, implemented, and characterized. We developed new instrumentation for several astronomical facilities. This includes the construction of Fabry-Perot light-combs that can easily be used for calibration of any astronomical spectrograph. This technology is now being used or foreseen in many instruments including new developments at ESO's VLT and E-ELT. Also, the project was involved in the discovery of a number of extrasolar planets around some of the stars closest to us.