PEGASE - A space interferometer for the spectro-photometry of Pegasides

Pegase is an answer to the CNES call for ideas for a scientific payload on its Formation Flying technological mission. It proposes a Bracewell interferometer operating in the infrared (1.5 – 6 microns) and visible regimes. It has small telescopes (40 cm) but a substantial baseline (25 to 500 m). Its angular resolution reaches 1 mas at 4 microns and 100 micro-as at 0.4 microns. Its main scientific objectives are the spectroscopic study of weak companions including
pegasides and brown dwarfs bounded to other stars. The goal is to determine the composition of the atmospheres of these objects as well as their cloud structure.