Improved Search for Thermal Emission from Fomalhaut b

Details Improved Search for Thermal Emission from Fomalhaut b Improved Search for Thermal Emission from Fomalhaut b

Jun 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010sptz.prop70009j&link_type=abstract

Spitzer Proposal ID #70009

Physics

Scientific paper

Fomalhaut is a young, nearby, and massive star hosting a circumstellar debris disk. The disk consists primarily of a ring with a sharp inner edge, which is eccentric and offset from the photocenter of the star. This characteristic morphology is believed to be caused by dynamical sculpting by a planetary companion. Coronagraphic imaging of the system has revealed a co-moving point-source, which has been interpreted as being a signature of this companion. However, subsequent imaging attempts at longer wavelengths have failed to detect this candidate. We show that due to the large separation between the star and candidate planet, Spitzer imaging with an improved high-contrast method provides the best opportunity for detecting thermal emission corresponding to masses approaching the lower limit of 0.5 Mjup for the expected companion, derived from dynamical models at the age of the Fomalhaut system. Our proposed observations could therefore provide the first definite thermal image of the candidate, which is necessary to unambiguously confirm its existence and constrain its physical properties.

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