scholarly journals K-Stacker: an algorithm to hack the orbital parameters of planets hidden in high-contrast imaging

2020 ◽  
Vol 639 ◽  
pp. A113 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Le Coroller ◽  
M. Nowak ◽  
P. Delorme ◽  
G. Chauvin ◽  
R. Gratton ◽  
...  

Context. Recent high-contrast imaging surveys, using the Spectro-Polarimetic High contrast imager for Exoplanets REsearch (SPHERE) or the Gemini Planet Imager in search of planets in young, nearby systems, have shown evidence of a small number of giant planets at relatively large separation beyond 10–30 au, where those surveys are the most sensitive. Access to smaller physical separations between 5 and 30 au is the next step for future planet imagers on 10 m telescopes and the next generation of extremely large telescopes in order to bridge the gap with indirect techniques such as radial velocity, transit, and soon astrometry with Gaia. In addition to new technologies and instruments, the development of innovative observing strategies combined with optimized data processing tools is participating in the improvement of detection capabilities at very close angular separation. In that context, we recently proposed a new algorithm, Keplerian-Stacker, which combines multiple observations acquired at different epochs and takes into account the orbital motion of a potential planet present in the images to boost the ultimate detection limit. We showed that this algorithm is able to find planets in time series of simulated images of the SPHERE InfraRed Dual-band Imager and Spectrograph (IRDIS) even when a planet remains undetected at one epoch. Aims. Our goal is to test and validate the K-Stacker algorithm performances on real SPHERE datasets to demonstrate the resilience of this algorithm to instrumental speckles and the gain offered in terms of true detection. This will motivate future dedicated multi-epoch observation campaigns of well-chosen, young, nearby systems and very nearby stars carefully selected to search for planets in emitted and reflected light, respectively, to open a new path concerning the observing strategy used with current and future planet imagers. Methods. To test K-Stacker, we injected fake planets and scanned the low signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) regime in a series of raw observations obtained by the SPHERE/IRDIS instrument in the course of the SPHERE High-contrast ImagiNg survey for Exoplanets. We also considered the cases of two specific targets intensively monitored during this campaign: β Pictoris and HD 95086. For each target and epoch, the data were reduced using standard angular differential imaging processing techniques and then recombined with K-Stacker to recover the fake planetary signals. In addition, the known exoplanets β Pictoris b and HD 95086 b previously identified at lower S/N in single epochs have also been recovered by K-Stacker. Results. We show that K-Stacker achieves a high success rate of ≈100% when the S/N of the planet in the stacked image reaches ≈9. The improvement of the S/N is given as the square root of the total exposure time contained in the data being combined. At S∕N < 6−7, the number of false positives is high near the coronagraphic mask, but a chromatic study or astrophysical criteria can help to disentangle between a bright speckle and a true detection. During the blind test and the redetection of HD 95086 b, and β Pic b, we highlightthe ability of K-Stacker to find orbital solutions consistent with those derived by the current Markov chain Monte Carlo orbital fitting techniques. This confirms that in addition to the detection gain, K-Stacker offers the opportunity to characterize the most probable orbital solutions of the exoplanets recovered at low S/N.

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (S299) ◽  
pp. 44-45
Author(s):  
Jérôme Maire ◽  
Jonathan Gagné ◽  
David Lafrenière ◽  
James R. Graham ◽  
René Doyon

RésuméDirect imaging and spectroscopy of exoplanets is a key element for understanding planet formation and migration. Such direct detections and characterizations remains technologically challenging, since a very high contrast ratio and small angular separation are involved, and futhermore speckle noise limits the high-contrast imaging performance. We further discuss a speckle subtraction and suppression technique that fully takes advantage of spectral and time-domain information on quasi-static speckles to measure the highest-fidelity photometry as well as accurate astrometry of detected companions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 619 ◽  
pp. A160 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Sissa ◽  
R. Gratton ◽  
A. Garufi ◽  
E. Rigliaco ◽  
A. Zurlo ◽  
...  

The nearby Herbig Be star HD 100546 is known to be a laboratory for the study of protoplanets and their relation with the circumstellar disk, which is carved by at least two gaps. We observed the HD 100546 environment with high-contrast imaging exploiting several different observing modes of SPHERE, including data sets with and without coronagraphs, dual band imaging, integral field spectroscopy and polarimetry. The picture emerging from these different data sets is complex. Flux-conservative algorithm images clearly show the disk up to 200 au. More aggressive algorithms reveal several rings and warped arms that are seen overlapping the main disk. Some of these structures are found to lie at considerable height over the disk mid-plane at about 30 au. Our images demonstrate that the brightest wings close to the star in the near side of the disk are a unique structure, corresponding to the outer edge of the intermediate disk at ~ 40 au. Modeling of the scattered light from the disk with a geometrical algorithm reveals that a moderately thin structure (H∕r = 0.18 at 40 au) can well reproduce the light distribution in the flux-conservative images. We suggest that the gap between 44 and 113 au spans between the 1:2 and 3:2 resonance orbits of a massive body located at ~ 70 au, which mightcoincide with the candidate planet HD 100546b detected with previous thermal infrared (IR) observations. In this picture, the two wings can be the near side of a ring formed by disk material brought out of the disk at the 1:2 resonance with the same massive object. While we find no clear evidence confirming detection of the planet candidate HD 100546c in our data, we find a diffuse emission close to the expected position of HD 100546b. This source can be described as an extremely reddened substellar object surrounded by a dust cloud or its circumplanetary disk. Its astrometry is broadly consistent with a circular orbital motion on the disk plane, a result that could be confirmed with new observations. Further observations at various wavelengths are required to fully understand the complex phenomenology of HD 100546.


Author(s):  
Uwe Lücken ◽  
Michael Felsmann ◽  
Wim M. Busing ◽  
Frank de Jong

A new microscope for the study of life science specimen has been developed. Special attention has been given to the problems of unstained samples, cryo-specimens and x-ray analysis at low concentrations.A new objective lens with a Cs of 6.2 mm and a focal length of 5.9 mm for high-contrast imaging has been developed. The contrast of a TWIN lens (f = 2.8 mm, Cs = 2 mm) and the BioTWTN are compared at the level of mean and SD of slow scan CCD images. Figure 1a shows 500 +/- 150 and Fig. 1b only 500 +/- 40 counts/pixel. The contrast-forming mechanism for amplitude contrast is dependent on the wavelength, the objective aperture and the focal length. For similar image conditions (same voltage, same objective aperture) the BioTWIN shows more than double the contrast of the TWIN lens. For phasecontrast specimens (like thin frozen-hydrated films) the contrast at Scherzer focus is approximately proportional to the √ Cs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shangfeng Wang ◽  
Yong Fan ◽  
Dandan Li ◽  
Caixia Sun ◽  
Zuhai Lei ◽  
...  

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Berton ◽  
Raffaele G. Gratton ◽  
Markus Feldt ◽  
Silvano Desidera ◽  
Elena Masciadri ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangpei Dou ◽  
Deqing Ren ◽  
Yongtian Zhu ◽  
Xi Zhang ◽  
Rong Li

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