Physics – Optics
Scientific paper
Oct 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011epsc.conf..262a&link_type=abstract
EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2011, held 2-7 October 2011 in Nantes, France. http://meetings.copernicus.org/epsc-dps2011, p.262
Physics
Optics
Scientific paper
Kepler announced 1235 candidate transiting planets earlier this year, most of them Neptune-sized or smaller [1]. High-quality follow-up observations are required both to confirm the planetary nature of each candidate and to accurately measure its characteristics. Here we focus on the efforts to obtain subarcsecond resolution images in order to detect close companion stars. Depending on their brightness and distance, nearby stars can dilute the transit signal from the target star, leading to an underestimate of the planetary radius, and in some cases a false positive detection. Additionally, since Earth-sized planets cannot currently be detected with radial velocity measurements, other means are vital to establishing accurate planetary sizes. Reconnaissance spectroscopy can rule out the presence of some types of companion stars, and high-resolution images provide complementary constraints, both critical components of efforts to validate planetary candidates. Here we present adaptive optics (AO) images of several dozen Kepler Objects of Interest (KOIs). Roughly a third of the objects imaged in the near-infrared have a companion within 2" which are up to 4 magnitudes fainter in the Ks band. Additional stars dilute the light from the target star, causing the transit depth to be underestimated, and a dilution correction term must be applied to estimate the true object radius. If no companions are detected, we can place limits on the delta-magnitude and distance of any remaining potential companions. These limits are used in BLENDER analyses to constrain the phase space available for various background blend scenarios, which can place sharp limits on the false detection probability, allowing for candidates to be statistically validated [2].
Adams Elisabeth R.
Dupree Andrea K.
Kulesa Craig
McCarthy Dermot
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