scholarly journals The SOPHIE search for northern extrasolar planets

2019 ◽  
Vol 625 ◽  
pp. A17 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. F. Díaz ◽  
X. Delfosse ◽  
M. J. Hobson ◽  
I. Boisse ◽  
N. Astudillo-Defru ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Extrasolar Planets ◽  
Equilibrium Temperature ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Velocity Variation ◽  
High Dispersion ◽  
Correlated Noise ◽  
Contrast Imaging ◽  
High Contrast Imaging ◽  
Independent Analysis ◽  
Low Mass

Periodic radial velocity variations in the nearby M-dwarf star Gl 411 are reported, based on measurements with the SOPHIE spectrograph. Current data do not allow us to distinguish between a 12.95-day period and its one-day alias at 1.08 days, but favour the former slightly. The velocity variation has an amplitude of 1.6 m s−1, making this the lowest-amplitude signal detected with SOPHIE up to now. We have performed a detailed analysis of the significance of the signal and its origin, including extensive simulations with both uncorrelated and correlated noise, representing the signal induced by stellar activity. The signal is significantly detected, and the results from all tests point to its planetary origin. Additionally, the presence of an additional acceleration in the velocity time series is suggested by the current data. On the other hand, a previously reported signal with a period of 9.9 days, detected in HIRES velocities of this star, is not recovered in the SOPHIE data. An independent analysis of the HIRES dataset also fails to unveil the 9.9-day signal. If the 12.95-day period is the real one, the amplitude of the signal detected with SOPHIE implies the presence of a planet, called Gl 411 b, with a minimum mass of around three Earth masses, orbiting its star at a distance of 0.079 AU. The planet receives about 3.5 times the insolation received by Earth, which implies an equilibrium temperature between 256 and 350 K, and makes it too hot to be in the habitable zone. At a distance of only 2.5 pc, Gl 411 b, is the third closest low-mass planet detected to date. Its proximity to Earth will permit probing its atmosphere with a combination of high-contrast imaging and high-dispersion spectroscopy in the next decade.

scholarly journals A temperate exo-Earth around a quiet M dwarf at 3.4 parsec

2018 ◽  
Vol 613 ◽  
pp. A25 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Bonfils ◽  
N. Astudillo-Defru ◽  
R. Díaz ◽  
J.-M. Almenara ◽  
T. Forveille ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Giant Planet ◽  
Angular Separation ◽  
Magnetic Activity ◽  
High Dispersion ◽  
Contrast Imaging ◽  
M Dwarfs ◽  
High Contrast Imaging ◽  
Habitable Zones ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Large Telescopes

The combination of high-contrast imaging and high-dispersion spectroscopy, which has successfully been use to detect the atmosphere of a giant planet, is one of the most promising potential probes of the atmosphere of Earth-size worlds. The forthcoming generation of extremely large telescopes (ELTs) may obtain sufficient contrast with this technique to detect O2 in the atmosphere of those worlds that orbit low-mass M dwarfs. This is strong motivation to carry out a census of planets around cool stars for which habitable zones can be resolved by ELTs, i.e. for M dwarfs within ~5 parsec. Our HARPS survey has been a major contributor to that sample of nearby planets. Here we report on our radial velocity observations of Ross 128 (Proxima Virginis, GJ447, HIP 57548), an M4 dwarf just 3.4 parsec away from our Sun. This source hosts an exo-Earth with a projected mass m sini = 1.35 M⊕ and an orbital period of 9.9 days. Ross 128 b receives less than 1.5 times as much flux as Earth from the Sun and its equilibrium ranges in temperature between 269 K for an Earth-like albedo and 213 K for a Venus-like albedo. Recent studies place it close to the inner edge of the conventional habitable zone. An 80-day long light curve from K2 campaign C01 demonstrates that Ross 128 b does not transit. Together with the All Sky Automated Survey (ASAS) photometry and spectroscopic activity indices, the K2 photometry shows that Ross 128 rotates slowly and has weak magnetic activity. In a habitability context, this makes survival of its atmosphere against erosion more likely. Ross 128 b is the second closest known exo-Earth, after Proxima Centauri b (1.3 parsec), and the closest temperate planet known around a quiet star. The 15 mas planet-star angular separation at maximum elongation will be resolved by ELTs (>3λ∕D) in the optical bands of O2.

scholarly journals precision: a fast python pipeline for high-contrast imaging – application to SPHERE observations of the red supergiant VX Sagitariae

2020 ◽  
Vol 494 (3) ◽  
pp. 3200-3211
Author(s):  
P Scicluna ◽  
F Kemper ◽  
R Siebenmorgen ◽  
R Wesson ◽  
J A D L Blommaert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Extrasolar Planets ◽  
Asymmetric Structure ◽  
High Contrast ◽  
Contrast Imaging ◽  
Near Ir ◽  
High Contrast Imaging ◽  
Infrared Imager ◽  
Imaging Application ◽  
Efficient Reduction

ABSTRACT The search for extrasolar planets has driven rapid advances in instrumentation, resulting in cameras such as SPHERE at the VLT, GPI at Gemini South and SCExAO at Subaru, capable of achieving very high contrast (∼106) around bright stars with small inner working angles (${\sim}0.1\,{\rm arcsec}$). The optimal exploitation of data from these instruments depends on the availability of easy-to-use software to process and analyse their data products. We present a pure-python pipeline, precision, which provides fast, memory-efficient reduction of data from the SPHERE/IRDIS near-infrared imager, and can be readily extended to other instruments. We apply precision to observations of the extreme red supergiant VX Sgr, the inner outflow of which is revealed to host complex, asymmetric structure in the near-IR. In addition, optical polarimetric imaging reveals clear extended polarized emission on ∼0.5 arcsec scales that varies significantly with azimuth, confirming the asymmetry. While not conclusive, this could suggest that the ejecta are confined to a disc or torus, which we are viewing nearly face on, although other non-spherical or clumpy configurations remain possible. VX Sgr has no known companions, making such a geometry difficult to explain, as there is no obvious source of angular momentum in the system.

scholarly journals Detecting and Characterizing Exoplanets with Direct Imaging: Past, Present, and Future

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (S299) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth Biller
Keyword(s):  
Extrasolar Planets ◽  
Direct Detection ◽  
High Mass ◽  
High Contrast ◽  
Future Prospects ◽  
Contrast Imaging ◽  
Direct Imaging ◽  
Planet Detection ◽  
High Contrast Imaging ◽  
Imaging And Spectroscopy

AbstractThe last decade has yielded the first images of exoplanets, considerably advancing our understanding of the properties of young giant planets. In this talk I will discuss current results from ongoing direct imaging efforts as well as future prospects for detection and characterization of exoplanets via high contrast imaging. Direct detection, and direct spectroscopy in particular, have great potential for advancing our understanding of extrasolar planets. In combination with other methods of planet detection, direct imaging and spectroscopy will allow us to eventually: 1) study the physical properties of exoplanets (colors, temperatures, etc.) in depth and 2) fully map out the architecture of typical planetary systems. Direct imaging has offered us the first glimpse into the atmospheric properties of young high-mass (3-10 MJup) exoplanets. Deep direct imaging surveys for exoplanets have also yielded the strongest constraints to date on the statistical properties of wide giant exoplanets. A number of extremely high contrast exoplanet imaging instruments have recently come online or will come online within the next year (including Project 1640, SCExAO, SPHERE, GPI, among others). I will discuss future prospects with these instruments.

scholarly journals Direct characterization of young giant exoplanets at high spectral resolution by coupling SPHERE and CRIRES+

2021 ◽  
Vol 646 ◽  
pp. A150
Author(s):  
G. P. P. L. Otten ◽  
A. Vigan ◽  
E. Muslimov ◽  
M. N’Diaye ◽  
E. Choquet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spectral Resolution ◽  
Extrasolar Planets ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Detection Limits ◽  
Spectral Lines ◽  
High Spectral Resolution ◽  
Contrast Imaging ◽  
High Contrast Imaging ◽  
The Impact

Studies of atmospheres of directly imaged extrasolar planets with high-resolution spectrographs have shown that their characterization is predominantly limited by noise on the stellar halo at the location of the studied exoplanet. An instrumental combination of high-contrast imaging and high spectral resolution that suppresses this noise and resolves the spectral lines can therefore yield higher quality spectra. We study the performance of the proposed HiRISE fiber coupling between the direct imager SPHERE and the spectrograph CRIRES+ at the Very Large Telescope for spectral characterization of directly imaged planets. Using end-to-end simulations of HiRISE we determine the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of the detection of molecular species for known extrasolar planets in H and K bands, and compare them to CRIRES+. We investigate the ultimate detection limits of HiRISE as a function of stellar magnitude, and we quantify the impact of different coronagraphs and of the system transmission. We find that HiRISE largely outperforms CRIRES+ for companions around bright hosts like β Pictoris or 51 Eridani. For an H = 3.5 host, we observe a gain of a factor of up to 16 in observing time with HiRISE to reach the same S/N on a companion at 200 mas. More generally, HiRISE provides better performance than CRIRES+ in 2 h integration times between 50 and 350 mas for hosts with H < 8.5 and between 50 and 700 mas for H < 7. For fainter hosts like PDS 70 and HIP 65426, no significant improvements are observed. We find that using no coronagraph yields the best S/N when characterizing known exoplanets due to higher transmission and fiber-based starlight suppression. We demonstrate that the overall transmission of the system is in fact the main driver of performance. Finally, we show that HiRISE outperforms the best detection limits of SPHERE for bright stars, opening major possibilities for the characterization of future planetary companions detected by other techniques.

scholarly journals Characterization of a photon counting EMCCD for space-based high contrast imaging spectroscopy of extrasolar planets

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashlee N. Wilkins ◽  
Michael W. McElwain ◽  
Timothy J. Norton ◽  
Bernie J. Rauscher ◽  
Johannes F. Rothe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Extrasolar Planets ◽  
Imaging Spectroscopy ◽  
Photon Counting ◽  
High Contrast ◽  
Contrast Imaging ◽  
High Contrast Imaging

scholarly journals HST/STIS imaging of Fomalhaut: New main belt structure and confirmation of Fomalhaut b's eccentric orbit

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (S299) ◽  
pp. 204-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Kalas ◽  
J. R. Graham ◽  
M. P. Fitzgerald ◽  
M. Clampin
Keyword(s):  
Hubble Space Telescope ◽  
Main Belt ◽  
Contrast Imaging ◽  
Nearby Star ◽  
High Contrast Imaging ◽  
Reflected Light ◽  
New Findings ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Dust Ring ◽  
Made In

AbstractHigh contrast imaging observations with the Hubble Space Telescope show that the nearby star Fomalhaut is surrounded by a dusty debris belt and a candidate planet, Fomalhaut b, located just inside the edge of the belt. Fomalhaut b has unexpected characteristics, such as a relatively blue spectrum, leading to the hypothesis that the detected object is a low-mass planet hosting a giant planetary dust ring or cloud seen in reflected light. Here we present new HST/STIS observations made in 2010 and 2012 that authenticate the existence of Fomalhaut b. Our MCMC analysis of four epochs of astrometry spread over eight years indicate that the orbit has a~170 AU and e~0.85. Fomalhaut b's orbit is apsidally aligned with the main belt, and periapse is located approximately ~30 AU south of the star. We also show the existence of a ~50 AU wide azimuthal dust depletion in the dust belt. These new findings provide a revised picture of Fomalhaut as a dynamically complex system, where the orbit of Fomalhaut b and the belt structure signify the presence of additional massive planets orbiting the star.

scholarly journals SPOTS: The Search for Planets Orbiting Two Stars

2018 ◽  
Vol 619 ◽  
pp. A43 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Asensio-Torres ◽  
M. Janson ◽  
M. Bonavita ◽  
S. Desidera ◽  
C. Thalmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Binary Stars ◽  
Imaging Techniques ◽  
Contrast Imaging ◽  
Direct Imaging ◽  
Upper Limit ◽  
High Contrast Imaging ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Best Fit ◽  
Observational Program

Binary stars constitute a large percentage of the stellar population, yet relatively little is known about the planetary systems orbiting them. Most constraints on circumbinary planets (CBPs) so far come from transit observations with the Kepler telescope, which is sensitive to close-in exoplanets but does not constrain planets on wider orbits. However, with continuous developments in high-contrast imaging techniques, this population can now be addressed through direct imaging. We present the full survey results of the Search for Planets Orbiting Two Stars (SPOTS) survey, which is the first direct imaging survey targeting CBPs. The SPOTS observational program comprises 62 tight binaries that are young and nearby, and thus suitable for direct imaging studies, with VLT/NaCo and VLT/SPHERE. Results from SPOTS include the resolved circumbinary disk around AK Sco, the discovery of a low-mass stellar companion in a triple packed system, the relative astrometry of up to 9 resolved binaries, and possible indications of non-background planetary-mass candidates around HIP 77911. We did not find any CBP within 300 AU, which implies a frequency upper limit on CBPs (1–15 MJup) of 6–10% between 30–300 AU. Coupling these observations with an archival dataset for a total of 163 stellar pairs, we find a best-fit CBP frequency of 1.9% (2–15 MJup) between 1 and 300 AU with a 10.5% upper limit at a 95% confidence level. This result is consistent with the distribution of companions around single stars.

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