Searching for Dying Solar Systems: A Complete Survey of Nearby, Young White Dwarfs

Details Searching for Dying Solar Systems: A Complete Survey of Nearby, Young White Dwarfs Searching for Dying Solar Systems: A Complete Survey of Nearby, Young White Dwarfs

Jun 2005

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005sptz.prop20567z&link_type=abstract

Spitzer Proposal ID #20567

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Scientific paper

We propose to extend and complement our established ground-based and HST-based near-IR surveys for giant planetary companions to nearby young white dwarfs to the mid-infrared, by searching for photometric excesses with IRAC on Spitzer. These observations will allow us to stretch our current detection limits to lower masses (5 Jupiter masses or less). We have carefully selected a complete sample of 40 young (<2.5 Gyr), nearby (<25 pc) white dwarfs for this survey. Of these, nearly 30 have been approved for observations with Spitzer in various Cycle 1 programs; this proposal seeks IRAC observations for the remainder. These are ideal targets (best possible brightness ratio) against which one can detect direct radiation from giant self-luminous planets, and the mid-IR (IRAC) regime is the most promising wavelength range for these cool (300-500 K) companions. As white dwarfs are the descendants of main sequence stars more massive than the Sun, our survey will cast light on the frequency of giant planets around intermediate mass stars that survived post-main sequence evolution. As a fringe benefit, we may also discover several cool debris disks around white dwarfs which can be discriminated against planets by their red colors across the IRAC bands. Our team has the expertise in white dwarf photospheres, in brown dwarf and exo-planet astrophysics, and in mid-IR astronomy to carry this project to success.

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