Direct imaging of very low mass companions

Details Direct imaging of very low mass companions Direct imaging of very low mass companions

Feb 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001noao.prop..230c&link_type=abstract

NOAO Proposal ID #2001A-0230

Physics

Scientific paper

We will utilize Gemini and Hokupa'a to search for very low mass (2- 20 jupiter mass) companions around newly discovered low luminosity (M6.5 or later) nearby (D< 25pc) stars. Based on preliminary observations made with Hokupa'a/GEMINI in August 2000 of 3 such late type M stars (M7.0, M7.5, & M8.0) we are confident that Hokupa'a will be able to produce nearly diffraction-limited (FWHM~ 0.1") images in the H band guiding on these very red, faint (I=14-17) stars themselves. We have reduced and extensively modeled these test images to produce a detailed sensitivity search space for faint companions around late type M stars and L stars. We expect Hokupa'a to be uniquely able to detect (in 5 minutes at H band) massive planets from 2-20 Jupiters in mass from 5-20 AU around M8 stars at 10pc from 0.1-10 Gyrs of age respectively. We propose to observe 40 objects from our candidate list in 2 nights (Run 1) with one more half night (Run 2) ~ 3 months later to confirm which of the detected companions are physical (e.g common proper motion pairs). We conservatively expect to find 2-4 of these to be real very low mass companions. Directly imaging 2-4 objects of 2-20 jupiter masses would be very significant since this would be the first survey to probe these massive planetary masses in the critical formation zone (5-15 AU) where such massive planets are commonly thought to form. Moreover, these objects would be the coolest exo-solar objects (800 > T_eff> 320 K) to be directly detected -ever. Such cool planetary atmospheres promise exciting new chemistry and physics (clouds, dust, water...) which could be directly observed spectroscopically in the coming semesters with Hokupa'a & CIRPASS.

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