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In less than a year, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will inherit the mantle of being the world's pre-eminent infrared observatory. JWST will carry with it an Aperture Masking Interferometer (AMI) as one of the supported operational modes of the Near-InfraRed Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) instrument. Aboard such a powerful platform, the AMI mode will deliver the most advanced and scientifically capable interferometer ever launched into space, exceeding anything that has gone before it by orders of magnitude in sensitivity. Here we present key aspects of the design and commissioning of this facility: data simulations ($\texttt{ami_sim}$), the extraction of interferometeric observables using two different approaches ($\texttt{IMPLANEIA}$ and $\texttt{AMICAL}$), an updated view of AMI's expected performance, and our reference star vetting programs., Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures, invited paper conference

We present CFHT photometry and IRTF spectroscopy of low-mass candidate members of Serpens South and Serpens Core ($\sim$430 pc, $\sim$0.5 Myr), identified using a novel combination of photometric filters, known as the W-band method. We report SC182952+011618, SS182959-020335 and SS183032-021028 as young, low-mass Serpens candidate members, with spectral types in the range M7-M8, M5-L0 and M5-M6.5 respectively. Best-fit effective temperatures and luminosities imply masses of $, Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS

We present the discovery of a planetary-mass companion to CFHTWIR-Oph 98, a low-mass brown dwarf member of the young Ophiuchus star-forming region, with a wide 200-au separation (1.46 arcsec). The companion was identified using Hubble Space Telescope images, and confirmed to share common proper motion with the primary using archival and new ground-based observations. Based on the very low probability of the components being unrelated Ophiuchus members, we conclude that Oph 98 AB forms a binary system. From our multi-band photometry, we constrain the primary to be an M9-L1 dwarf, and the faint companion to have an L2-L6 spectral type. For a median age of 3 Myr for Ophiuchus, fits of evolutionary models to measured luminosities yield masses of $15.4\pm0.8$ M$_\mathrm{Jup}$ for Oph 98 A and $7.8\pm0.8$ M$_\mathrm{Jup}$ for Oph 98 B, with respective effective temperatures of $2320\pm40$ K and $1800\pm40$ K. For possible system ages of 1-7 Myr, masses could range from 9.6-18.4 M$_\mathrm{Jup}$ for the primary, and from 4.1-11.6 M$_\mathrm{Jup}$ for the secondary. The low component masses and very large separation make this binary the lowest binding energy system imaged to date, indicating that the outcome of low-mass star formation can result in such extreme, weakly-bound systems. With such a young age, Oph 98 AB extends the growing population of young free-floating planetary-mass objects, offering a new benchmark to refine formation theories at the lowest masses., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJL. 4 figures, 2 tables

We present the wide field slitless spectroscopy mode of the NIRISS instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope. This mode employs two orthogonal low-resolution (resolving power $\approx 150$) grisms in combination with a set of six blocking filters in the wavelength range 0.8 to $2.3\,\mu$m to provide a spectrum of almost every source across the field-of-view. When combined with the low background, high sensitivity and high spatial resolution afforded by the telescope, this mode will enable unprecedented studies of the structure and evolution of distant galaxies. We describe the performance of the as-built hardware relevant to this mode and expected imaging and spectroscopic sensitivity. We discuss operational and calibration procedures to obtain the highest quality data. As examples of the observing mode usage, we present details of two planned Guaranteed Time Observations programs: The Canadian NIRISS Unbiased Cluster Survey (CANUCS) and The NIRISS Survey for Young Brown Dwarfs and Rogue Planets., Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in PASP

Given its relative proximity (~430 pc), compact size (< 20'), young age (~ 0.5 Myr) and rich number of young stellar objects, the Serpens-South star forming region is a promising site for studying young sub-stellar objects, yet the low-mass members of this region remain largely undiscovered. In this paper we report on a deep photometric survey using a custom 1.45 um filter (W-band), as well as standard J and H near-IR filters, in order to identify candidate low-mass young brown-dwarfs in the Serpens-South region. We constructed a reddening-insensitive index (Q) by combining J, H and W-band photometry for survey objects, in order to identify candidate low-mass members of Serpens based on the strength of the water absorption feature at 1.45 um in the atmospheres of mid-M and later objects. We then conducted spectroscopic follow up to confirm youth and spectral type for our candidates. This is the first survey to identify the very low-mass and coolest members of Serpens-South. We identify 4 low-mass candidate Serpens members, which all display IR excess emission, indicating the likely presence of circumstellar disks around them. One of the four candidate low-mass members in our list, SERP182918-020245, exhibits Pa_beta and Br_gamma emission features, confirming its youth and ongoing magnetospheric accretion. Our new candidate members have spectral types >M4 and are the coolest and lowest mass candidate members yet identified in Serpens-South., Published in ApJ, 23 pages, 12 figures

Young associations, being sparsely populated and relatively close to the Sun, their members are found all over the sky. In the Solar Neighborhood, young moving groups are found within 100 pc with ages ranging from 5 to 120 Myr. While known members of these groups were identified mostly through the Hipparcos data, only the most massive members have been fully characterized so far, and defined the core members. In the last decades, several new candidate members have been identified, using different approaches. Based on the global properties of the core members (kinematics and over luminosity), those methods used several criteria to establish the membership, from qualitative manner to quantitive methods using reduced chi-squared or membership probability. A full confirmation of the membership for those numerous candidates requires radial velocity and parallax measurements to confirm their kinematics, age-dating indicator measurement to assess their youth and multiplicity follow-up to rule out binary objects. In this proceeding, we summarize a general recipe to assign membership, describe the numerous challenges for assigning membership, and end with a discussion on the appropriateness and reliability of the BANYAN I and II tools to assess membership.

We report results from the Wide-orbit Exoplanet search with InfraRed Direct imaging (WEIRD), a survey designed to search for Jupiter-like companions on very wide orbits (1000 to 5000 AU) around young stars ($, Comment: 55 pages, 16 figures, accepted to AJ

We present a photometric $J$-band variability study of GU Psc b, a T3.5 co-moving planetary-mass companion (9-13$M_{\rm{Jup}}$) to a young ($\sim$150 Myr) M3 member of the AB Doradus Moving Group. The large separation between GU Psc b and its host star (42") provides a rare opportunity to study the photometric variability of a planetary-mass companion. The study presented here is based on observations obtained from 2013 to 2014 over three nights with durations of 5-6 hr each with the WIRCam imager at Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. Photometric variability with a peak-to-peak amplitude of $4\pm1$% at a timescale of $\sim$6 hr was marginally detected on 2014 October 11. No high-significance variability was detected on 2013 December 22 and 2014 October 10. The amplitude and timescale of the variability seen here, as well as its evolving nature, is comparable to what was observed for a variety of field T dwarfs and suggests that mechanisms invoked to explain brown dwarf variability may be applicable to low-gravity objects such as GU Psc b. Rotation-induced photometric variability due to the formation and dissipation of atmospheric features such as clouds is a plausible hypothesis for the tentative variation detected here. Additional photometric measurements, particularly on longer timescales, will be required to confirm and characterize the variability of GU Psc b, determine its periodicity and to potentially measure its rotation period., 17 pages, 12 figures

This article summarizes a workshop held on March, 2014, on the potential of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to revolutionize our knowledge of the physical properties of exoplanets through transit observations. JWST’s unique combination of high sensitivity and broad wavelength coverage will enable the accurate measurement of transits with high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N). Most importantly, JWST spectroscopy will investigate planetary atmospheres to determine atomic and molecular compositions, to probe vertical and horizontal structure, and to follow dynamical evolution, i.e., exoplanet weather. JWST will sample a diverse population of planets of varying masses and densities in a wide variety of environments characterized by a range of host star masses and metallicities, orbital semi-major axes, and eccentricities. A broad program of exoplanet science could use a substantial fraction of the overall JWST mission.

As we approach the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) era, several studies have emerged that aim to: 1) characterize how the instruments will perform and 2) determine what atmospheric spectral features could theoretically be detected using transmission and emission spectroscopy. To some degree, all these studies have relied on modeling of JWST's theoretical instrument noise. With under two years left until launch, it is imperative that the exoplanet community begins to digest and integrate these studies into their observing plans, as well as think about how to leverage the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to optimize JWST observations. In order to encourage this and to allow all members of the community access to JWST & HST noise simulations, we present here an open-source Python package and online interface for creating observation simulations of all observatory-supported time-series spectroscopy modes. This noise simulator, called PandExo, relies on some aspects of Space Telescope Science Institute's Exposure Time Calculator, Pandeia. We describe PandExo and the formalism for computing noise sources for JWST. Then, we benchmark PandExo's performance against each instrument team's independently written noise simulator for JWST, and previous observations for HST. We find that \texttt{PandExo} is within 10% agreement for HST/WFC3 and for all JWST instruments., 9 pages, 9 figures, accepted PASP

We conducted a multi-wavelength, multi-instrument observational characterisation of the candidate free-floating planet CFBDSIR~J214947.2-040308.9, a late T-dwarf with possible low-gravity features, in order to constrain its physical properties. We analyzed 9 hours of X-Shooter spectroscopy with signal detectable from 0.8--2.3$\mu$m, as well as additional photometry in the mid-infrared using the Spitzer Space Telescope. Combined with a VLT/HAWK-I astrometric parallax, this enabled a full characterisation of the absolute flux from the visible to 5$\mu$m, encompassing more than 90\% of the expected energy emitted by such a cool late T-type object. Our analysis of the spectrum also provided the radial velocity and therefore the determination of its full 3-D kinematics. While our new spectrum confirms the low gravity and/or high metallicity of CFBDSIR2149, the parallax and kinematics safely rule out membership to any known young moving group, including AB~Doradus. We use the equivalent width of the KI doublet at 1.25$\mu$m as a promising tool to discriminate the effects of low-gravity from the effects of high-metallicity on the emission spectra of cool atmospheres. In the case of CFBDSIR2149, the observed KI doublet clearly favours the low-gravity solution. CFBDSIR2149 is therefore a peculiar late-T dwarf that is probably a young, planetary-mass object (2--13Mjup, $, Comment: Accepted in A&A

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will embark in 2018 on a 2-year wide-field survey mission, discovering over a thousand terrestrial, super-Earth and sub-Neptune-sized exoplanets potentially suitable for follow-up observations using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). This work aims to understand the suitability of anticipated TESS planet discoveries for atmospheric characterization by JWST's Near InfraRed Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) by employing a simulation tool to estimate the signal-to-noise (S/N) achievable in transmission spectroscopy. We applied this tool to Monte Carlo predictions of the TESS expected planet yield and then compared the S/N for anticipated TESS discoveries to our estimates of S/N for 18 known exoplanets. We analyzed the sensitivity of our results to planetary composition, cloud cover, and presence of an observational noise floor. We found that several hundred anticipated TESS discoveries with radii from 1.5 to 2.5 times the Earth's radius will produce S/N higher than currently known exoplanets in this radius regime, such as K2-3b or K2-3c. In the terrestrial planet regime, we found that only a few anticipated TESS discoveries will result in higher S/N than currently known exoplanets, such as the TRAPPIST-1 planets, GJ1132b, and LHS1140b. However, we emphasize that this outcome is based upon Kepler-derived occurrence rates, and that co-planar compact multi-planet systems (e.g., TRAPPIST-1) may be under-represented in the predicted TESS planet yield. Finally, we apply our calculations to estimate the required magnitude of a JWST follow-up program devoted to mapping the transition region between hydrogen-dominated and high molecular weight atmospheres. We find that a modest observing program of between 60 to 100 hours of charged JWST time can define the nature of that transition (e.g., step function versus a power law)., Comment: 28 pages, 16 figures, Accepted by PASP. In this version, we modify Figures 8, 9, and 12 slightly for clarity, we add explanatory text in multiple locations, and we add Figure 3 to explain our S/N calculation. Figure 14 of this version replaces two Figures included previously

The Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) Optical Simulator (NOS) is a laboratory simulation of the single-object slitless spectroscopy and aperture masking interferometry modes of the NIRISS instrument onboard the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). A transiting exoplanet can be simulated by periodically eclipsing a small portion (1% - 10ppm) of a super continuum laser source (0.4 μm - 2.4 μm) with a dichloromethane filled cell. Dichloromethane exhibits multiple absorption features in the near infrared domain hence the net effect is analogous to the atmospheric absorption features of an exoplanet transiting in front of its host star. The NOS uses an HAWAII-2RG and an ASIC controller cooled to cryogenic temperatures. A separate photometric beacon provides a flux reference to monitor laser variations. The telescope jitter can be simulated using a high-resolution motorized pinhole placed along the optical path. Laboratory transiting spectroscopy data produced by the NOS will be used to refine analysis methods, characterize the noise due to the jitter, characterize the noise floor and to develop better observation strategies. We report in this paper the first exoplanet transit event simulated by the NOS. The performance is currently limited by relatively high thermal background in the system and high frequency temporal variations of the continuum source.

We present discovery observations of a quasar in the Canada-France High-z Quasar Survey (CFHQS) at redshift z=6.44. We also use near-IR spectroscopy of nine CFHQS quasars at z~6 to determine black hole masses. These are compared with similar estimates for more luminous Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasars to investigate the relationship between black hole mass and quasar luminosity. We find a strong correlation between MgII FWHM and UV luminosity and that most quasars at this early epoch are accreting close to the Eddington limit. Thus these quasars appear to be in an early stage of their life cycle where they are building up their black hole mass exponentially. Combining these results with the quasar luminosity function, we derive the black hole mass function at z=6. Our black hole mass function is ~10^4 times lower than at z=0 and substantially below estimates from previous studies. The main uncertainties which could increase the black hole mass function are a larger population of obscured quasars at high-redshift than is observed at low-redshift and/or a low quasar duty cycle at z=6. In comparison, the global stellar mass function is only ~10^2 times lower at z=6 than at z=0. The difference between the black hole and stellar mass function evolution is due to either rapid early star formation which is not limited by radiation pressure as is the case for black hole growth or inefficient black hole seeding. Our work predicts that the black hole mass - stellar mass relation for a volume-limited sample of galaxies declines rapidly at very high redshift. This is in contrast to the observed increase at 4, Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, AJ in press

We have recently identified the widest very low-mass binary (2M0126AB), consisting of an M6.5V and an M8V dwarf with a separation of ~5100 AU, which is twice as large as that of the second widest known system and an order of magnitude larger than those of all other previously known wide very low-mass binaries. If this binary belongs to the field population, its constituents would have masses of ~0.09 Msun, at the lower end of the stellar regime. However, in the discovery paper we pointed out that its proper motion and position in the sky are both consistent with being a member of the young (30 Myr) Tucana/Horologium association, raising the possibility that the binary is a pair of ~0.02 Msun brown dwarfs. We obtained optical spectroscopy at the Gemini South Observatory in order to constrain the age of the pair and clarify its nature. The absence of lithium absorption at 671 nm, modest Halpha emission, and the strength of the gravity-sensitive Na doublet at 818 nm all point toward an age of at least 200 Myr, ruling out the possibility that the binary is a member of Tucana/Horologium. We further estimate that the binary is younger than 2 Gyr based on its expected lifetime in the galactic disk., accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

SN 2008D was discovered while following up an unusually bright X-ray transient in the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 2770. We present early optical spectra (obtained 1.75 days after the X-ray transient) which allowed the first identification of the object as a supernova at redshift z = 0.007. These spectra were acquired during the initial declining phase of the light curve, likely produced in the stellar envelope cooling after shock breakout, and rarely observed. They exhibit a rather flat spectral energy distribution with broad undulations, and a strong, W-shaped feature with minima at 3980 and 4190 AA (rest frame). We also present extensive spectroscopy and photometry of the supernova during the subsequent photospheric phase. Unlike supernovae associated with gamma-ray bursts, SN 2008D displayed prominent He features and is therefore of Type Ib., 7 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables; accepted for publication in ApJL; typos fixed after proofs

We report the discovery of a very low mass binary system (primary mass, Comment: accepted ApJL, 4 pages

We describe in this work the BASS survey for brown dwarfs in young moving groups of the solar neighborhood, and summarize the results that it generated. These include the discovery of the 2MASS J01033563-5515561 (AB)b and 2MASS J02192210-3925225 B young companions near the deuterium-burning limit as well as 44 new low-mass stars and 69 new brown dwarfs with a spectroscopically confirmed low gravity. Among those, ~20 have estimated masses within the planetary regime, one is a new L4 $\gamma$ bona fide member of AB Doradus, three are TW Hydrae candidates with later spectral types (L1-L4) than all of its previously known members and six are among the first contenders to low-gravity $\geq$ L5 $\beta$/$\gamma$ brown dwarfs, reminiscent of WISEP J004701.06+680352.1, PSO J318.5338-22.8603 and VHS J125601.92-125723.9 b. Finally, we describe a future version of this survey, BASS-Ultracool, that will specifically target $\geq$ L5 candidate members of young moving groups. First experimentations in designing the survey have already led to the discovery of a new T dwarf member of AB Doradus, as well as the serendipitous discoveries of an L9 subdwarf and an L5 + T5 brown dwarf binary., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to proceeding of the IAU for the IAU 314 meeting on Young Stars & Planets Near the Sun (at Atlanta, GA, US on May 10-14, 2015)

We report the discovery that the nearby ($\sim$ 6 pc) photometrically variable T2.5 dwarf SIMP~J013656.5+093347 is a likely member of the $\sim$ 200 Myr-old Carina-Near moving group with a probability of $>$ 99.9% based on its full kinematics. Our $v\sin i$ measurement of $50.9 \pm 0.8$ km s$^{-1}$ combined with the known rotation period inferred from variability measurements provide a lower limit of $1.01 \pm 0.02$ $R_{\mathrm{Jup}}$ on the radius of SIMP0136+0933, an independent verification that it must be younger than $\sim$ 950 Myr according to evolution models. We estimate a field interloper probability of 0.2% based on the density of field T0-T5 dwarfs. At the age of Carina-Near, SIMP0136+0933 has an estimated mass of $12.7 \pm 1.0$ $M_{\mathrm{Jup}}$ and is predicted to have burned roughly half of its original deuterium. SIMP0136+0933 is the closest known young moving group member to the Sun, and is one of only a few known young T dwarfs, making it an important benchmark for understanding the atmospheres of young planetary-mass objects., 10 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters

Accurate models of optical performance are an essential tool for astronomers, both for planning scientific observations ahead of time, and for a wide range of data analysis tasks such as point-spread-function (PSF)-fitting photometry and astrometry, deconvolution, and PSF subtraction. For the James Webb Space Telescope, the WebbPSF program provides a PSF simulation tool in a flexible and easy-to-use software package available to the community and implemented in Python. The latest version of WebbPSF adds new support for spectroscopic modes of JWST NIRISS, MIRI, and NIRSpec, including modeling of slit losses and diffractive line spread functions. It also provides additional options for modeling instrument defocus and/or pupil misalignments. The software infrastructure of WebbPSF has received enhancements including improved parallelization, an updated graphical interface, a better configuration system, and improved documentation. We also present several comparisons of WebbPSF simulated PSFs to observed PSFs obtained using JWST's flight science instruments during recent cryovac tests. Excellent agreement to first order is achieved for all imaging modes cross-checked thus far, including tests for NIRCam, FGS, NIRISS, and MIRI. These tests demonstrate that WebbPSF model PSFs have good fidelity to the key properties of JWST's as-built science instruments.

LLNL diamond machined a ZnSe grism for spectroscopy of transiting exoplanets on NIRISS, a Canadian instrument that will fly on the James Webb Space Telescope. The grism operates over the wavelength range of 0.6 to 2.5 μm. It is cross-dispersed by a ZnS prism and has a resolving power in first order of ~700. The surface error over the full 29 x 30 mm grating aperture is 0.03 wave rms at 633nm. We measured a diffraction efficiency at 633 nm of 56% (nearly 88% after accounting for Fresnel reflection). The diffraction pattern is clean with no discernible ghosts.

JWST's Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) includes an Aperture Masking Interferometry (AMI) mode designed to be used between 2.7{\mu}m and 4.8{\mu}m. At these wavelengths, it will have the highest angular resolution of any mode on JWST, and, for faint targets, of any existing or planned infrastructure. NIRISS AMI is uniquely suited to detect thermal emission of young massive planets and will permit the characterization of the mid-IR flux of exoplanets discovered by the GPI and SPHERE adaptive optics surveys. It will also directly detect massive planets found by GAIA through astrometric accelerations, providing the first opportunity ever to get both a mass and a flux measurement for non-transiting giant planets. NIRISS AMI will also enable the study of the nuclear environment of AGNs., Comment: Presented at SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2014

Grating prisms (grism) designed for near-infrared spectroscopy typically make use of high-refractive index materials such as zinc selenide (ZnSe), at the expense of large Fresnel losses ( 18%). Part of the loss can be recovered by using anti-reflection (AR) coatings. The technique is however considered risky when applied on the ruled surface of a grating, especially for a space application at cryogenic temperature. Such a grism, made of ZnSe and machined at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is mounted in the Near-Infrared Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) onboard the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Its Single Object Slitless Spectrograph (SOSS) observing mode uses the ZnSe grism and a cross-dispersing prism to produce R=700 spectra in orders 1 and 2 to cover the 0.6 to 2.5 microns spectral domain. The ZnSe grism is blazed at 1.23 microns, has a density of 54 lines/mm and its triangular grooves have a depth of 700 nm, a base of 18 microns, with facets angled at 1.9 degrees. Here, an AR coating produced by Thin Film Lab (TFL) and deposited on the ruled surface of a ZnSe grism sample was space qualified. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed no groove profile change pre/post coating despite the large relative thickness of the AR coating to that of the groove depth ( 35%). Also, the wavefront error map remained almost unchanged at lambda/8 (peak-to-valley at 632 nm) and survived unscathed through a series of three cryogenic cycles to 20 K. Finally, the transmission gain across our operating spectral range was almost as high as that for a unruled surface covered with the same AR coating (10-15%).

The James Webb Space Telescope Fine Guidance Sensor makes use of three 2048×2048 five micron cutoff H2RG HgCdTe detectors from Teledyne Imaging Systems. The FGS consists of two Guider channels and a Near-InfraRed Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) channel. We report here on detailed tests results from the Guider channels originating in both instrument level performance testing and from recent Guider performance testing with the FGS integrated into JWST's Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM). A key performance parameter is the noise equivalent angle (NEA) or centroiding precision. The JWST requirement flowed down to the Guiders is a NEA of 4 milli-arcseonds, equivalent to approximately 1/20th of a detector pixel. This performance has been achieved in the testing to date. We have noted a systematic asymmetry in the NEA depending on whether the NEA in the row or column direction is considered. This asymmetry depends on guide star brightness and reaches its maximum, where the row NEA is 15% to 20% larger than the column NEA, at the dim end of the Guide star brightness range. We evaluate the detector level characteristics of spatially correlated noise and asymmetric inter-pixel capacitance (IPC) as potential sources of this NEA asymmetry. Modelling is used to estimate the impact on NEA of these potential contributors. These model results are then compared to the Guider test results obtained to date in an effort to isolate the cause of this effect. While asymmetric IPC can induce asymmetric NEA, the required magnitude of IPC is far greater than observed in these detectors. Thus, spatially correlated noise was found to be the most likely cause of the asymmetric NEA., High Energy, Optical, and Infrared Detectors for Astronomy VI, June 22-25, 2014, Montreal, QC, Canada, Series: Proceedings of SPIE; no. 9154

A new polarimeter has been built for the “Observatoire du Mont-Megantic” (POMM) and is now in commissioning phase. It will allow polarization measurements with a precision of 10-6, an improvement by a factor of 100 over the previous observatory polarimeter. The characteristics of the instrument that allow this goal are briefly discussed and the planned science observations are presented. They include exoplanets near their host star (hot Jupiters), transiting exoplanets, stars with debris disks, young stars with proto-planetary disks, brown dwarfs, massive Wolf-Rayet stars and comets. The details of the optical and mechanical designs are presented in two other papers.

Stellar-substellar binary systems are quite rare, and provide interesting benchmarks. They constrain the complex physics of substellar atmospheres, because several physical parameters of the substellar secondary can be fixed from the much better characterized main sequence primary. We report the discovery of CFBDS J111807-064016, a T2 brown dwarf companion to 2MASS J111806.99-064007.8, a low-mass M4.5-M5 star. The brown-dwarf was identified from the Canada France Brown Dwarf Survey. At a distance of 50-120 pc, the 7.7 arcsec angular separation corresponds to projected separations of 390-900 AU. The primary displays no Halpha emission, placing a lower limit on the age of the system of about 6 Gyr. The kinematics is also consistent with membership in the old thin disc. We obtained near-infrared spectra, which together with recent atmosphere models allow us determine the effective temperature and gravity of both components. From these parameters and the age constraint, evolutionary models estimate masses of 0.10 to 0.15 Msol for the M dwarf, and 0.06 to 0.07 Msol for the T dwarf. This system is a particularly valuable benchmark because the brown dwarf is an early T: the cloud-clearing that occurs at the L/T transition is very sensitive to gravity, metallicity, and detailed dust properties, and produces a large scatter in the colours. This T2 dwarf, with its metallicity measured from the primary and its mass and gravity much better constrained than those of younger early-Ts, will anchor our understanding of the colours of L/T transition brown dwarfs. It is also one of the most massive T dwarfs, just below the hydrogen-burning limit, and all this makes it a prime probe a brown dwarf atmosphere and evolution models., Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures Accepted for publication in A&A

We present detections of the near-infrared thermal emission of three hot Jupiters and one brown-dwarf using the Wide-field Infrared Camera (WIRCam) on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). These include Ks-band secondary eclipse detections of the hot Jupiters WASP-3b and Qatar-1b and the brown dwarf KELT-1b. We also report Y-band, $K_{CONT}$-band, and two new and one reanalyzed Ks-band detections of the thermal emission of the hot Jupiter WASP-12b. We present a new reduction pipeline for CFHT/WIRCam data, which is optimized for high precision photometry. We also describe novel techniques for constraining systematic errors in ground-based near-infrared photometry, so as to return reliable secondary eclipse depths and uncertainties. We discuss the noise properties of our ground-based photometry for wavelengths spanning the near-infrared (the YJHK-bands), for faint and bright-stars, and for the same object on several occasions. For the hot Jupiters WASP-3b and WASP-12b we demonstrate the repeatability of our eclipse depth measurements in the Ks-band; we therefore place stringent limits on the systematics of ground-based, near-infrared photometry, and also rule out violent weather changes in the deep, high pressure atmospheres of these two hot Jupiters at the epochs of our observations., Comment: 27 pages, 23 figures, ApJ submitted June 16th, 2014. Version revised to address referee comments

Based on high-resolution spectra obtained with PHOENIX at Gemini-South, CRIRES at VLT-UT1, and ESPaDOnS at CFHT, we present new measurements of the radial and projected rotational velocities of 219 low-mass stars. The target likely membership was initially established using the Bayesian analysis tool recently presented in \citet{2013malo}, taking into account only the position, proper motion and photometry of the stars to assess their membership probability. In the present study, we include radial velocity as an additional input to our analysis, and in doing so we confirm the high membership probability for 130 candidates: 27 in $\beta$ Pictoris, 22 in Tucana-Horologium, 25 in Columba, 7 in Carina, 18 in Argus and 18 in AB Doradus and 13 with an ambiguous membership. Our analysis also confirms the membership of 57 stars proposed in the literature. A subsample of 16 candidates was observed at three or more epochs, allowing us to discover 6 new spectroscopic binaries. The fraction of binaries in our sample is 25%, consistent with values in the literature. Twenty percent of the stars in our sample show projected rotational velocities (\vsini) higher than 30 \kms\ and therefore are considered as fast rotators. A parallax and other youth indicators are still needed to fully confirm the 130 highly probable candidates identified here as new {\it bona fide} members. Finally, based on the X-ray emission of {\it bona fide} and highly probable group members, we show that for low-mass stars in the 12-120 Myr age range, the X-ray luminosity is an excellent indicator of youth and better than the more traditionally used R$_{\rm X}$ parameter, the ratio of X-ray to bolometric luminosity.

We have conducted a near-infrared (NIR) proper motion survey, the Sondage Infrarouge de Mouvement Propre, in order to discover field ultracool dwarfs (UCD) in the solar neighborhood. The survey was conducted by imaging $\sim28\%$ of the sky with the Cam\'era PAnoramique Proche-InfraRouge both in the southern hemisphere at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory 1.5 m telescope, and in the northern hemisphere at the Observatoire du Mont-M\'egantic 1.6 m telescope and comparing the source positions from these observations with the Two Micron All-Sky Survey Point Source Catalog (2MASS PSC). Additional color criteria were used to further discriminate unwanted astrophysical sources. We present the results of an NIR spectroscopic follow-up of 169 M, L, and T dwarfs. Among the sources discovered are 2 young field brown dwarfs, 6 unusually red M and L dwarfs, 25 unusually blue M and L dwarfs, 2 candidate unresolved L+T binaries, and 24 peculiar UCDs. Additionally, we add 9 L/T transition dwarfs (L6--T4.5) to the already known objects., Comment: 85 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ

We present results of a multifilter survey of the whole Magellanic-type galaxy IC 1613. Narrowband CN and TiO filters are used to identify carbon stars among red giants. We have identified 195 carbon stars, extending up to 15' from the center of the galaxy. We present well-calibrated R and I magnitudes for all stars. The large field surveyed allows a reliable foreground estimate of M stars, leading to a C/M ratio of 0.64, when giants as early as M0 are counted. Analysis of the photometric properties of the C star population reveals a narrow MI distribution with a mean MI of -4.69, with a dispersion of ±0.28. IC 1613 has, for its absolute magnitude, a normal number of C stars.

Radial velocities of 759 carbon stars on the periphery of the LMC are used to determine the rotation curve from 3 to 12 kpc. After a peak of 42 km s-1 at 4 kpc, the velocities decline to 35 km s-1 at 6.5 kpc, suggesting that 90% of the LMC's matter lies inside this radius. The rising velocities seen at larger radii are explained by particle-particle N-body simulations as arising from tidal interactions between LMC and both the SMC and the Galaxy. For an inclination of 33° the mass contained within a 5 kpc radius is 6.2 ± 0.9 × 109 M☉. An upper limit on the LMC halo mass is determined.

We present a planetary-mass companion found 42′′ (2000 AU) from a M3 star, candidate member of the young (50-120 Myr) AB Doradus moving group. It was identified through an ongoing survey with GMOS at Gemini-South, via its distinctively red i-z color (>3.51). The comoving status of this object was confirmed by 2 epochs of WIRCam/CFHT J-band images. The NIR photometry and WISE colors suggest an early-to-mid T bound companion. A NIR spectrum, taken with GNIRS at Gemini-North, confirms a mid-T spectral type. With an estimated temperature between 900 K and 1200 K, models predict a mass between 7 and 12 MJup for this object. The benchmark character of this planetary-mass object lies in its relatively well-constrained age and in its very wide separation, that allows in-depth studies that can help validating models and understanding similar but closer-in companions such as the ones that will be uncovered by next-generation planet finders (e.g. GPI and SPHERE).

Using the CFBDSIR wide field survey for brown dwarfs, we identified CFBDSIRJ214947.2-040308.9, a late T dwarf with atypically red J-Ks colour. We obtained an X-Shooter spectra, with signal detectable from 0.8 to 2.3 micron, which confirmed a T7 spectral type with an enhanced Ks-band flux indicative of a potentially low-gravity, young, object. The comparison of our near infrared spectrum with atmosphere models, for solar metallicity, shows that CFBDSIRJ214947.2-040308.9 is probably a 650-750 K, log g=3.75-4.0 substellar object. Using evolution models, this translates into a planetary mass object, with an age in the 20-200 Myr range. An independent Bayesian analysis from proper motion measurements results in a 87% probability that this free-floating planet is a member of the 50-120 Myr old AB Doradus moving group, which strengthens the spectroscopic youth diagnosis. By combining our atmospheric characterisation with the age and metallicity constraints arising from the probable membership to the AB Doradus moving group, we find that CFBDSIRJ214947.2-040308.9 is probably a 4-7 Jupiter masses free-floating planet with an effective temperature of ~700K and a log g of ~4.0, typical of the late T-type exoplanets that are targeted by direct imaging. We stress that this object could be used as a benchmark for understanding the physics of the similar T-type exoplanets that will be discovered by the upcoming high contrast imagers., A&A Accepted

The James Webb Space Telescope Fine Guidance Sensor makes use of three 2048x2048 five micron cutoff HAWAII-2RG HgCdTe detectors from Teledyne Imaging Systems. The FGS consists of two Guider channels and a Near-InfraRed Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) channel. We report here on the characterization of the flight detectors at the sub-system level and after integration to the flight instrument. The FGS-Guider has a number of unique readout modes which are required to support observatory operations. Of critical importance is the identification and classification of pixels which, if left unmasked or unprocessed, would compromise the guider performance. We report on these classification methods and on the detailed behaviour of key bad pixel types which can impact guider performance.

The Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) is one of the four science instruments on board the JamesWebb Space Telescope (JWST). FGS features two modules: an infrared camera dedicated to fine guiding of the observatory and a science camera module, the Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) covering the wavelength range between 0.7 and 5.0 μm with a field of view of 2.2'×2.2'. NIRISS has four observing modes: 1) broadband imaging featuring seven of the eight NIRCam broadband filters, 2) wide-field slitless spectroscopy at a resolving power of ̃150 between 1 and 2.5 μm, 3) single-object cross-dispersed slitless spectroscopy enabling simultaneous wavelength coverage between 0.7 and 2.5 μm at R ̃ 660, a mode optimized for transit spectroscopy of relatively bright (J > 7) stars and, 4) sparse aperture interferometric imaging between 3.8 and 4.8 μm enabling high- contrast (̃ 10-4) imaging of M < 8 point sources at angular separations between 70 and 500 milliarcsec. This paper presents an overview of the FGS/NIRISS design with a focus on the scientific capabilities and performance offered by NIRISS. © 2012 SPIE., Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, July 1-6, 2012, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Series: Proceedings of SPIE; no. 8442

We present the first results of the Canada-France Brown Dwarfs Survey-InfraRed, hereafter CFBDSIR, our near infrared extension to the optical wide field survey CFBDS. Our final objectives are to constrain ultracool atmosphere physics by finding a statistically significant sample of objects cooler than 600K and to explore the ultracool brown dwarf mass function building on a well defined sample of such objects. We identify candidates in CFHT/Wircam J and CFHT/MegaCam z ′ images using optimized psf-fitting within Source Extractor, and follow them up with pointed near infrared imaging with SOFI at NTT. We have so far analysed and followed up all candidates on the first 66 square degrees of the 280 square degrees survey. We identified 64 T dwarfs candidates with z ′− J > 3.5 and have confirmed 3 of them as ultracool brown dwarfs (later than T7 dwarfs and Y dwarfs candidates), and 14 of them as early and mid-T dwarfs based on their far red and NIR colours. We also present here the NIR spectra of one of these ultracool dwarfs, CFBDSIR1458 which confirms it as one of the coldest brown dwarf known, in the 500–600 K temperature range.

We used WIRCam on CFHT to observe four transits of the super-Earth GJ 1214b in the near-infrared. For each transit we observed in two bands nearly-simultaneously by rapidly switching the WIRCam filter wheel back and forth for the duration of the observations. By combining all our J-band (~1.25 microns) observations we find a transit depth in this band of 1.338\pm0.013% - a value consistent with the optical transit depth reported by Charbonneau and collaborators. However, our best-fit combined Ks-band (~2.15 microns) transit depth is deeper: 1.438\pm0.019%. Formally our Ks-band transits are deeper than the J-band transits observed simultaneously by a factor of 1.072\pm0.018 - a 4-sigma discrepancy. The most straightforward explanation for our deeper Ks-band depth is a spectral absorption feature from the limb of the atmosphere of the planet; for the spectral absorption feature to be this prominent the atmosphere of GJ 1214b must have a large scale height and a low mean molecular weight. That is, it would have to be hydrogen/helium dominated and this planet would be better described as a mini-Neptune. However, recently published observations from 0.78 - 1.0 microns, by Bean and collaborators, show a lack of spectral features and transit depths consistent with those obtained by Charbonneau and collaborators. The most likely atmospheric composition for GJ 1214b that arises from combining all these observations is less clear; if the atmosphere of GJ 1214b is hydrogen/helium dominated then it must have either a haze layer that is obscuring transit depth differences at shorter wavelengths, or significantly different spectral features than current models predict. Our observations disfavour a water-world composition, but such a composition will remain a possibility until observations reconfirm our deeper Ks-band transit depth or detect features at other wavelengths. [Abridged], ApJ accepted. 12 pages, 6 figures, in EmulateApJ format

We have identified CFBDS J1458+10 as a 0.11" (2.6 AU) physical binary using Keck laser guide star adaptive optics imaging and have measured a distance of 23.1+/-2.4 pc to the system based on near-IR parallax data from CFHT. The integrated-light near-IR spectrum indicates a spectral type of T9.5, and model atmospheres suggest a slightly higher temperature and surface gravity than the T10 dwarf UGPS J0722-05. Thus, CFBDS J1458+10AB is the coolest brown dwarf binary found to date. Its secondary component has an absolute H-band magnitude that is 1.9+/-0.3 mag fainter than UGPS J0722-05, giving an inferred spectral type of >T10. The secondary's bolometric luminosity of ~2 x 10^{-7} L_sun makes it the least luminous known brown dwarf by a factor of 4-5. By comparing to evolutionary models and T9-T10 objects, we estimate a temperature of 370+/-40 K and a mass of 6-15 Mjup for CFBDS J1458+10B. At such extremes, atmospheric models predict the onset of novel photospheric processes, namely the appearance of water clouds and the removal of strong alkali lines, but their impact on the emergent spectrum is highly uncertain. Our photometry shows that strong CH4 absorption persists at H-band; the J-K color is bluer than the latest known T dwarfs but not as blue as predicted by current models; and the J-H color delineates a possible inflection in the blueward trend for the latest T dwarfs. Given its low luminosity, atypical colors and cold temperature, CFBDS J1458+10B is a promising candidate for the hypothesized Y spectral class. However, regardless of its ultimate classification, CFBDS J1458+10AB provides a new benchmark for measuring the properties of brown dwarfs and gas-giant planets, testing substellar models, and constraining the low-mass limit for star formation., Tiny cosmetic changes made to match final published version, including update of Ross 458C values in Table 6 and correction to Figure 7 legend

The Canada-France Brown Dwarfs Survey is an i'- and z'-band survey realized with MegaCam at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope that covers a surface area of 780 deg(2). Image analysis is now completed while J-band follow-up campaigns are similar to 90% done. The survey identified about 70 T dwarf candidates, of which 43 now have near-infrared spectra obtained with NIRI and GNIRS at Gemini and ISAAC at the Very Large Telescope. Six of these were previously published and we present here the 37 new discoveries, all T dwarfs. They range from T0 to T8.5 with four being of type T7 or later. Both newly identified T8 dwarfs are possibly high log( g) massive brown dwarfs of thin disk age. One T4.5 dwarf shows signs of sub-metallicity. We present proper motions and near-infrared photometry, and discuss about the most peculiar/interesting objects in some details.