SHARK-NIR, toward the end of the construction phase

Both Sharks (NIR and VIS) are undergoing the construction phase, and they are getting close to the moment in which they will be installed at the Large Binocular Telescope, one for each arm. They are conceived to make binocular coronagraphic observations, trying to catch planets also in close synergy with LBTI, used in coronagraphic fashion too. SHARK-NIR operates in Y-J-H bands and together with SHARK-VIS, covering the visible bandwidth, and LMIRCam, operating from K to M bands, will allow simultaneous observations from V to M band. The upgrade of the LBT AO systems to SOUL will push the extreme strehl regime to fainter magnitude, opening to science not fully covered with similar instruments, both in the number of targets to be studied looking for planets and for other very interesting science topics: jets and disks targets will increase quite a lot and AGN and QSO may become an interesting extragalactic topic to be studied due to the increased AO performance in the faint end regime. SHARK-NIR can operate in direct imaging, coronagraphic imaging, dual band coronagraphic imaging and low resolution spectroscopic mode. A number of coronagraphic techniques have been studied for possible implementation, and Gaussian Lyot, Shaped Pupil and Four Quadrant have been initially selected for implementation, even if there is room to upgrade to other techniques. The instrument has a couple of peculiar features, such as a fast internal TT loop to minimize the residual jitter and a local NCPA correction, performed through a DM inside the instrument itself. We report here about the SHARK-NIR status, which is in the AIV phase, that should finish by the end of the year, bringing in this way the first photons to the instrument in 2020.