SPIRou: a spectropolarimeter for the CFHT

Abstract: SPIRou is a near-infrared spectropolarimeter and high-precision radial-velocity instrument, to be mounted on the 3.6m Canada-France-Hawaii telescope ontop Maunakea and to be offered to the CFHT community from 2018. It focuses on two main scientific objectives : (i) the search and study of Earth-like planets around M dwarfs, especially in their habitable zone and (ii) the study of stellar and planetary formation in the presence of stellar magnetic field. The SPIRou characteristics (complete coverage of the near infrared wavelengths, high resolution, high stability and efficiency, polarimetry) also allow many other programs, e.g., magnetic fields and atmospheres of M dwarfs and brown dwarfs, star-planet interactions, formation and characterization of massive stars, dynamics and atmospheric chemistry of planets in the solar system.