The Galactic Bulge Deep Field: A Planetary Transit Survey and Very Deep Stellar Mass Function

Computer Science

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

Hst Proposal Id #9750 Stellar Populations

Scientific paper

We propose to observe a Galactic bulge field continuously with ACS/WFC over a 7-day period. We will monitor ~167, 000 F, G, and K dwarfs down to V=23, in order to detect transits by orbiting Jovian planets. If the frequency of "hot Jupiters" is similar to that in the solar neighborhood, we will detect over 100 planets, more than doubling the number of extrasolar planets known. For the brighter stars with transits, we will confirm the planetary nature of the companions through radial- velocity measurements using the 8-m VLT. We will determine the metallicities of most of the planet-bearing stars as well as a control sample, through follow-up VLT spectroscopy. The metallicities of the target stars range over more than 1.5 dex, allowing for a determination of the dependence of planet frequency upon metallicity--a crucial element in understanding planet formation. We will be able to discriminate between the equally numerous disk and bulge stars via proper motions. Hence we will determine, for the first time, the frequencies of planets in two entirely different stellar populations. We will also determine for the first time the distribution of planetary radii for extrasolar planets for both these populations. Parallel observations with NICMOS will provide ultra-deep near-infrared images of a nearby bulge field, which will be used to determine the stellar luminosity and mass functions down to the brown-dwarf regime. The data will also be useful for a variety of spinoff projects, including a census of variable stars and of hot white dwarfs in the bulge, and the metallicity distribution of bulge dwarfs.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

The Galactic Bulge Deep Field: A Planetary Transit Survey and Very Deep Stellar Mass Function does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with The Galactic Bulge Deep Field: A Planetary Transit Survey and Very Deep Stellar Mass Function, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The Galactic Bulge Deep Field: A Planetary Transit Survey and Very Deep Stellar Mass Function will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1733021

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.