Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2008-06-17
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
22 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in PASP
Scientific paper
10.1086/590506
Stars of late-M and L spectral types, collectively known as Ultracool Dwarfs (UCDs), may be excellent targets for searches for extrasolar planets. Owing to their small radii, the signal from an Earth-size planet transiting a UCD is, in principle, readily detectable. We present results from a study designed to evaluate the feasibility of using precise near infrared (NIR) photometry to detect terrestrial extrasolar planets orbiting UCDs. We used the Peters Automated InfRared Imaging TELescope (PAIRITEL) to observe a sample of 13 UCDs over a period of 10 months. We consider several important systematic effects in NIR differential photometry and develop techniques for generating photometry with a precision of 0.01 mag and long-term stability. We simulate the planet detection efficiency of an extended campaign to monitor a large sample of UCDs with PAIRITEL. We find that both a targeted campaign with a single telescope lasting several years and a campaign making use of a network of telescopes distributed in longitude could provide significant sensitivity to terrestrial planets orbiting UCDs, potentially in the habitable zone.
Blake Cullen H.
Bloom Joshua S.
Falco Emilio E.
Latham David W.
Skrutskie Michael F.
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