Abstract
We have developed an instrument, MEDI (Massive Exoplanet Differential Imager), that takes advantage of a unique method of starlight rejection, simultaneous differential imaging, in order to directly image massive planets around nearby stars. Using this technique we expect to achieve suppression of starlight to the photon-noise limit, which means that increased exposure time will translate into higher sensitivities. This is in contrast to past sequential and two-color simultaneous studies that reach a sensitivity floor due to speckle-noise limitations. MEDI is currently installed in ARIES, the infrared camera that will be commissioned at the newly refurbished 6.5m MMT in January 2003, with the world's first adaptive secondary. This should allow us to take Nyquist sampled, diffraction-limited images in the near-IR. The adaptive secondary will also give us unprecedented throughput while minimizing the thermal background and providing a smooth PSF. Based on lab results, we expect to be able to detect objects 106 times fainter than their primaries at 0.5″ separations in 2 hours, limited only by photon noise. This suggests that we will be sensitive to objects with masses as small as ∼ 5 MJupiter at separations of greater than ∼ 5 AU for G2 V stars that are ∼ 300 Myr old and within about 10 pc. Therefore, we will probe a unique search space compared with current radial velocity methods, which are so far restricted to close-in (< 6 AU) orbits.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering |
| Editors | P.L. Wizinowich, D. Bonaccini |
| Pages | 1132-1141 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Volume | 4839 |
| Edition | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2002 |
| Event | Adaptive Optical System Technologies II - Waikoloa, HI, United States Duration: Aug 22 2002 → Aug 26 2002 |
Other
| Other | Adaptive Optical System Technologies II |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| City | Waikoloa, HI |
| Period | 8/22/02 → 8/26/02 |
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Keywords
- Adaptive Optics
- Binaries
- Extrasolar Planets
- Instrumentation
- Polarimetry
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Condensed Matter Physics
Cite this
MEDI : An instrument for direct-detection of massive extrasolar planets. / Freed, Melanie; Close, Laird M; Mccarthy, Donald W; Rademacher, Matthew.
Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering. ed. / P.L. Wizinowich; D. Bonaccini. Vol. 4839 2. ed. 2002. p. 1132-1141.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution
}
TY - GEN
T1 - MEDI
T2 - An instrument for direct-detection of massive extrasolar planets
AU - Freed, Melanie
AU - Close, Laird M
AU - Mccarthy, Donald W
AU - Rademacher, Matthew
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - We have developed an instrument, MEDI (Massive Exoplanet Differential Imager), that takes advantage of a unique method of starlight rejection, simultaneous differential imaging, in order to directly image massive planets around nearby stars. Using this technique we expect to achieve suppression of starlight to the photon-noise limit, which means that increased exposure time will translate into higher sensitivities. This is in contrast to past sequential and two-color simultaneous studies that reach a sensitivity floor due to speckle-noise limitations. MEDI is currently installed in ARIES, the infrared camera that will be commissioned at the newly refurbished 6.5m MMT in January 2003, with the world's first adaptive secondary. This should allow us to take Nyquist sampled, diffraction-limited images in the near-IR. The adaptive secondary will also give us unprecedented throughput while minimizing the thermal background and providing a smooth PSF. Based on lab results, we expect to be able to detect objects 106 times fainter than their primaries at 0.5″ separations in 2 hours, limited only by photon noise. This suggests that we will be sensitive to objects with masses as small as ∼ 5 MJupiter at separations of greater than ∼ 5 AU for G2 V stars that are ∼ 300 Myr old and within about 10 pc. Therefore, we will probe a unique search space compared with current radial velocity methods, which are so far restricted to close-in (< 6 AU) orbits.
AB - We have developed an instrument, MEDI (Massive Exoplanet Differential Imager), that takes advantage of a unique method of starlight rejection, simultaneous differential imaging, in order to directly image massive planets around nearby stars. Using this technique we expect to achieve suppression of starlight to the photon-noise limit, which means that increased exposure time will translate into higher sensitivities. This is in contrast to past sequential and two-color simultaneous studies that reach a sensitivity floor due to speckle-noise limitations. MEDI is currently installed in ARIES, the infrared camera that will be commissioned at the newly refurbished 6.5m MMT in January 2003, with the world's first adaptive secondary. This should allow us to take Nyquist sampled, diffraction-limited images in the near-IR. The adaptive secondary will also give us unprecedented throughput while minimizing the thermal background and providing a smooth PSF. Based on lab results, we expect to be able to detect objects 106 times fainter than their primaries at 0.5″ separations in 2 hours, limited only by photon noise. This suggests that we will be sensitive to objects with masses as small as ∼ 5 MJupiter at separations of greater than ∼ 5 AU for G2 V stars that are ∼ 300 Myr old and within about 10 pc. Therefore, we will probe a unique search space compared with current radial velocity methods, which are so far restricted to close-in (< 6 AU) orbits.
KW - Adaptive Optics
KW - Binaries
KW - Extrasolar Planets
KW - Instrumentation
KW - Polarimetry
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0038060463&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0038060463&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1117/12.459473
DO - 10.1117/12.459473
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:0038060463
VL - 4839
SP - 1132
EP - 1141
BT - Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
A2 - Wizinowich, P.L.
A2 - Bonaccini, D.
ER -