The Gemini NICI Planet-Finding Campaign

Details The Gemini NICI Planet-Finding Campaign The Gemini NICI Planet-Finding Campaign

May 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009aas...21423001l&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #214, #230.01; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.733

Physics

Optics

Scientific paper

Our team is currently carrying out a major two-year, 50-night observing program to directly image and characterize young (< 1 Gyr) extrasolar planets using the Near-Infrared Coronagraphic Imager (NICI) on the Gemini-South 8.1-meter telescope. NICI is the first instrument on a large telescope designed from the start for high-contrast imaging, comprising a high-performance adaptive optics (AO) system with a simultaneous dual-channel coronagraphic imager. In combination with state-of-the-art AO observing and data analysis methods, NICI currently achieves about an order of magnitude better contrast than any previous ground-based or space-based instrument at separations inside of 2 arcseconds. The Campaign Team has also carried out significant preparatory efforts to identify previously unrecognized young stars as targets and to develop a rigorous quantitative methodology for constructing the observing strategy. The Planet-Finding Campaign began in December 2008 and is in full operation, with deep imaging of several dozen stars already obtained. We describe the Campaign's goals, design, target selection, on-sky performance to date, and early science results. The NICI Planet-Finding Campaign represents the largest and most sensitive imaging survey to date for massive ( 1 Mjup) planets around other stars.

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