The SPHERE science capabilities for the study of young brown dwarfs and giant exoplanets

The VLT planet finder SPHERE saw first light in early May 2014 and was successfully commissionned during four runs spanning from May to October 2014. During the commissioning, we observed the two young systems of PZ Tel and HD1160 with several imaging and spectroscopic modes. We will discuss the spectral and physical properties of the companions PZ Tel B and HD1160 BC, the orbital parameters of PZ Tel B, and constraints on putative additional companions based on these new data. We will use these results to outline the new science capabilities offered by SPHERE for the study of young brown dwarfs and giant exoplanets, from high-contrast imaging capabilities at optical wavelengths (500-900 nm) to high signal-to-noise spectroscopy in the near-infrared domain (0.95-2.3 μm) from low resolutions (∼30-50) to medium resolutions (∼350).