Exploring the small bodies of the Solar System with the ELT to understand its beginnings.

he POPPYSEED project focuses on asteroids, trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), and Centaurs, which are small primitive planetary objects that bear witness to the conditions of formation and evolution of the Solar System. From this perspective, studying their physical properties (size, shape, rotation, density, mass, internal structure), combined with their surface composition and dynamic properties, is crucial for developing and testing hypotheses. Trans-Neptunian objects in particular are the original remnants of the outer part of the protosolar disk. Through orbital interaction with migrating giant planets, these objects may have brought volatile species to inner planets such as Earth, influencing their evolution and habitability. There is therefore a strong link between the study of these small bodies and the formation and evolution of planets, as well as the study of the protosolar disk.
In 2029, ESO's Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) will receive its first light. It will offer extreme spatial resolution and sensitivity, exploited by versatile instrumentation to make unprecedented observations of a variety of objects, from the first large structures in the Universe to the bodies of the Solar System. In particular, the MICADO camera will offer exceptional imaging, astrometry, slit spectroscopy, and high-contrast coronography capabilities in the near infrared (0.8–2.4 μm). This will enable in-depth study of rocky and icy dwarf planets, notably by mapping their surface composition. The physical properties of around 100 asteroids and 20 TNOs should be constrained by imaging and astrometry. A little later, the HARMONI integral field spectrometer (1.4-2.5 microns) will be the key instrument for confirming and augmenting MICADO's spectroscopic results. These unprecedented MICADO and HARMONI observations will be made possible by the MORFEO adaptive optics system, which will correct the effects of atmospheric turbulence over a large portion of the sky, regardless of the apparent magnitude and proper motion of our targets.
IPAG is involved in the conceptual, technical, and scientific development of the above-mentioned instruments. Meticulous scientific preparation is necessary due to the unprecedented observation modalities of the ELT, linked to its size and complexity. We will pursue three main objectives:
(i) defining acquisition strategies for images and spectra,
(ii) exploiting laboratory measurements and data from ground-based facilities (VLT, Keck, CFHT, etc.) or space-based facilities (NASA's New Horizons mission) in order to constrain the preparation and advance science now,
(iii) simulating and analyzing MICADO/MORFEO and HARMONI synthetic images and spectra for a series of representative scientific cases. This also involves developing appropriate analysis methods for these new data and determining the performance of the instruments for our scientific cases.
This thesis will be fully involved in this preparation, but also in the analysis of data already acquired or to be obtained within three years using current observation methods in order to advance the science of small bodies in the Solar System.