Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Dec 2007
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007aas...211.2102b&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #211, #21.02; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 39, p.772
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Although the stars within 25 pc of the Sun constitute the one stellar sample that we can aspire to know thoroughly, we continue identifying objects closer than 10 pc. We know even less about local substellar populations, especially planets. The Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory Parallax Investigation (CTIOPI) is observing 31 late-type, red dwarfs selected for my thesis as part of a larger effort to complete the nearby star census. Preliminary parallaxes substantiate distances less than 25 pc for at least 28 stars. Of these, LP 991-84, LHS 6167, and LP 876-10 may lie within 10 pc. Preliminary proper motions for all but three stars exceed 0.2” yr-1. One recently established neighbor, LP 869-26, also appears to be a new binary. Associated VRI photometry and spectroscopy are in progress as well. Many of these stars are potential targets for astrometric planet searches, such as the Space Interferometry Mission (SIM).
In addition to confirming solar neighborhood membership, astrometry can discover brown dwarfs and planets. Time-series analyses of residuals to the UVa Southern Parallax Program (SPP) observations are contributing to frequency and distribution data for nearby substellar objects. In particular, LHS 288 displays an intriguing signal, which might be caused by a very low-mass companion. Twelve other SPP stars demonstrate no significant perturbations.
Finally, re-analyzing the Leander McCormick Observatory photographic plates of Barnard's Star failed to detect any planets orbiting it. This study of more than 900 exposures was sensitive to bodies of 2.2 Jupiter masses or more.
NSF grants AST 98-20711 and 05-07711, GSU, NASA-SIM, Litton Marine Systems, UVa, Hampden-Sydney College, US Naval Observatory, and the Levinson Fund of the Peninsula Community Foundation supported this research. The ANU Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics allocated observing time generously. CTIOPI was an NOAO Survey Program and continues as part of the SMARTS Consortium.
Bartlett Jennifer L.
Begam Michael C.
Henry Todd J.
Ianna Philip A.
Jao W.
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