Newly forming proto-planets are expected to create cavities and substructures in young, gas-rich proto-planetary disks [1-3], but they are difficult to detect as they could be confused with disk features affected by advanced image-analysis techniques[4,5]. Recently, a planet was discovered inside the gap of the transitional disk of the T-Tauri star PDS 70[6,7]. Here we report on the detection of strong H-alpha emission from two distinct locations in the PDS 70 system, one corresponding to the previously discovered planet PDS 70 b, which confirms the earlier Hα detection[8], and another located close to the outer-edge of the gap, coinciding with a previously identified bright dust spot in the disk and with a small opening in a ring of molecular emission[6,7,9]. We identify this second Hα peak as a second proto-planet in the PDS 70 system. The Hα emission spectra of both proto-planets indicate ongoing accretion onto the proto-planets[10,11], which appear to be near a 2:1 mean motion resonance. Our observations show that adaptive-optics-assisted, medium-resolution, integral-field spectroscopy with MUSE[12] targeting accretion signatures will be a powerful way to trace ongoing planet formation in transitional disks at different stages of their evolution. Finding more young planetary systems in mean motion resonance would give credibility to the Grand Tack hypothesis in which Jupiter and Saturn migrated in a resonance orbit during the early formation period of our Solar System[13].PDS 70 (V* V1032 Cen) is a young T-tauri star at a distance of 113. 43+-0.52 pc [14,15] with a spectroscopically determined age of 5. . Its proto-planetary disk was first discovered through spectral energy distribution(SED) modelling [16], and later directly imaged at near-infrared and sub-mm wavelengths [9,17,18]. Both the SED modelling and direct imaging show that PDS 70 harbours a transitional disk in which a large radial region from 20 AU -40 AU [6,18], as seen in the near-infrared, is

Context. The direct detection and characterization of planetary and substellar companions at small angular separations is a rapidly advancing field. Dedicated high-contrast imaging instruments deliver unprecedented sensitivity, enabling detailed insights into the atmospheres of young low-mass companions. In addition, improvements in data reduction and point spread function(PSF)-subtraction algorithms are equally relevant for maximizing the scientific yield, both from new and archival data sets. Aims. We aim at developing a generic and modular data-reduction pipeline for processing and analysis of high-contrast imaging data obtained with pupil-stabilized observations. The package should be scalable and robust for future implementations and particularly suitable for the 3-5 µm wavelength range where typically thousands of frames have to be processed and an accurate subtraction of the thermal background emission is critical. Methods. PynPoint is written in Python 2.7 and applies various image-processing techniques, as well as statistical tools for analyzing the data, building on open-source Python packages. The current version of PynPoint has evolved from an earlier version that was developed as a PSF-subtraction tool based on principal component analysis (PCA).Results. The architecture of PynPoint has been redesigned with the core functionalities decoupled from the pipeline modules. Modules have been implemented for dedicated processing and analysis steps, including background subtraction, frame registration, PSF subtraction, photometric and astrometric measurements, and estimation of detection limits. The pipeline package enables end-to-end data reduction of pupil-stabilized data and supports classical dithering and coronagraphic data sets. As an example, we processed archival VLT/NACO L and M data of β Pic b and reassessed the brightness and position of the planet with a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) analysis; we also provide a derivation of the photometric error budget. Pipelinereading module writing module processing module processing module processing module front end back end data management computational resource management PynPoint toolbox input data output data Input Control of database connection DataIO Central database data sets (e.g. images, analysis results) attributes (e.g. pixel scale, dither position) Abstract interface for ports between pipeline modules and database Pipeline interface Processing Port types Pypeline PypelineModule ReadingModule WritingModule ProcessingModule Abstract interface for pipeline modules Abstract interfaces for different module types Front end Back end

Context. R Aqr is a symbiotic binary system consisting of a mira variable, a hot companion with a spectacular jet outflow, and an extended emission line nebula. Because of its proximity to the Sun, this object has been studied in much detail with many types of high resolution imaging and interferometric techniques. We have used R Aqr as test target for the visual camera subsystem ZIMPOL, which is part of the new extreme adaptive optics (AO) instrument SPHERE at the Very Large Telescope (VLT). Aims. We describe SPHERE/ZIMPOL test observations of the R Aqr system taken in Hα and other filters in order to demonstrate the exceptional performance of this high resolution instrument. We compare our observations with data from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and illustrate the complementarity of the two instruments. We use our data for a detailed characterization of the inner jet region of R Aqr. Methods. We analyze the high resolution ≈25 mas images from SPHERE/ZIMPOL and determine from the Hα emission the position, size, geometric structure, and line fluxes of the jet source and the clouds in the innermost region <2 (<400 AU) of R Aqr. The data are compared to simultaneous HST line filter observations. The Hα fluxes and the measured sizes of the clouds yield Hα emissivities for many clouds from which one can derive the mean density, mass, recombination time scale, and other cloud parameters. for the "outer" clouds around 300 AU, N e ≈ 3 × 10 6 cm −3 for the "inner" clouds around 50 AU, and even higher for the central jet source. The high N e of the clouds implies short recombination or variability timescales of a year or shorter. Conclusions. Hα high resolution data provide a lot of diagnostic information for the ionized jet gas in R Aqr. Future Hα observations will provide the orientation of the orbital plane of the binary and allow detailed hydrodynamical investigations of this jet outflow and its interaction with the wind of the red giant companion.

Context. In recent years, our understanding of giant planet formation progressed substantially. There have even been detections of a few young protoplanet candidates still embedded in the circumstellar disks of their host stars. The exact physics that describes the accretion of material from the circumstellar disk onto the suspected circumplanetary disk and eventually onto the young, forming planet is still an open question. Aims. We seek to detect and quantify observables related to accretion processes occurring locally in circumstellar disks, which could be attributed to young forming planets. We focus on objects known to host protoplanet candidates and/or disk structures thought to be the result of interactions with planets. Methods. We analyzed observations of six young stars (age 3.5 − 10 Myr) and their surrounding environments with the SPHERE/ZIMPOL instrument on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in the Hα filter (656 nm) and a nearby continuum filter (644.9 nm). We applied several point spread function (PSF) subtraction techniques to reach the highest possible contrast near the primary star, specifically investigating regions where forming companions were claimed or have been suggested based on observed disk morphology. Results. We redetect the known accreting M-star companion HD142527 B with the highest published signal to noise to date in both Hα and the continuum. We derive new astrometry (r = 62.8 +2.1 −2.7 mas and PA = (98.7 ± 1.8) • ) and photometry (∆N_Ha=6.3 +0.2 −0.3 mag, ∆B_Ha=6.7 ± 0.2 mag and ∆Cnt_Ha=7.3 +0.3 −0.2 mag) for the companion in agreement with previous studies, and estimate its mass accretion rate (Ṁ ≈ 1 − 2 × 10 −10 M yr −1 ). A faint point-like source around HD135344 B (SAO206462) is also investigated, but a second deeper observation is required to reveal its nature. No other companions are detected. In the framework of our assumptions we estimate detection limits at the locations of companion candidates around HD100546, HD169142, and MWC 758 and calculate that processes involving Hα fluxes larger than ∼ 8 × 10 −14 − 10 −15 erg/s/cm 2 (Ṁ > 10 −10 − 10 −12 M yr −1 ) can be excluded. Furthermore, flux upper limits of ∼ 10 −14 − 10 −15 erg/s/cm 2 (Ṁ < 10 −11 − 10 −12 M yr −1 ) are estimated within the gaps identified in the disks surrounding HD135344 B and TW Hya. The derived luminosity limits exclude Hα signatures at levels similar to those previously detected for the accreting planet candidate LkCa15 b.

The SpHere INfrared Exoplanet (SHINE) project is a 500-star survey performed with SPHERE on the Very Large Telescope for the purpose of directly detecting new substellar companions and understanding their formation and early evolution. Here we present an initial statistical analysis for a subsample of 150 stars spanning spectral types from B to M that are representative of the full SHINE sample. Our goal is to constrain the frequency of substellar companions with masses between 1 and 75 M Jup and semimajor axes between 5 and 300 au. For this purpose, we adopt detection limits as a function of angular separation from the survey data for all stars converted into mass and projected orbital separation using the BEX-COND-hot evolutionary tracks and known distance to each system. Based on the results obtained for each star and on the 13 detections in the sample, we use a Markov chain Monte Carlo tool to compare our observations to two different types of models. The first is a parametric model based on observational constraints, and the second type are numerical models that combine advanced core accretion and gravitational instability planet population synthesis. Using the parametric model, we show that the frequencies of systems with at least one substellar companion are 23.0 +13.5 −9.7 %, 5.8 +4.7 −2.8 %, and 12.6 +12.9 −7.1 % for BA, FGK, and M stars, respectively. We also demonstrate that a planet-like formation pathway probably dominates the mass range from 1-75 M Jup for companions around BA stars, while for M dwarfs, brown dwarf binaries dominate detections. In contrast, a combination of binary star-like and planet-like formation is required to best fit the observations for FGK stars. Using our population model and restricting our sample to FGK stars, we derive a frequency of 5.7 +3.8 −2.8 %, consistent with predictions from the parametric model. More generally, the frequency values that we derive are in excellent agreement with values obtained in previous studies.