Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Sep 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009dps....41.4210b&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #41, #42.10
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
We describe the latest results from our ground-based program to directly detect and characterize the atmospheres of non-transiting close-in exoplanets. Using NIRSPEC at Keck II, we obtain high spectral resolution, high signal-to-noise spectroscopy of nearby exoplanet systems. These spectra contain the blended light of a parent star and known close-in planet companions, and target the 3 to 5 micron region where the contrast is favorable and a planet spectrum has numerous molecular features. We correct the telluric absorption using a line-by-line radiative transfer code to calculate a custom absorption function for each observation. We then disentangle the stellar and planet flux using a two dimensional correlation analysis. The template spectra required for this are modeled from measured stellar parameters and plausible exoplanet parameters. By combining observations from several epochs with the orbital parameters from radial velocity surveys, our correlation results yield the dynamical mass ratio of the system. The amplitude of the correlation peak quantifies the agreement between a planet model and the true planet spectrum, allowing us to characterize a planet's atmosphere by comparing results from a suite of models. Here, we will show results from our observations of the 55 Cancri system. These efforts complement recent measurements of transiting planets, and have the potential to significantly expand the sample of close-in exoplanets that are available for direct study. CB is supported at NRL by an NRC Research Associateship Award; basic research in infrared astronomy at NRL is supported by 6.1 base funding.
Barman Travis
Bender Chad F.
Carr John S.
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