396 research outputs found
Narrow-Angle Astrometry with the Space Interferometry Mission: The Search for Extra-Solar Planets. II. Detection and Characterization of Planetary Systems
(Abridged) The probability of detecting additional companions is essentially
unchanged with respect to the single-planet configurations, but after fitting
and subtraction of orbits with astrometric signal-to-noise ratio
the false detection rates can be enhanced by up to a
factor 2; the periodogram approach results in robust multiple-planet detection
for systems with periods shorter than the SIM mission length, even at low
values of , while the least squares technique combined with
Fourier series expansions is arguably preferable in the long-period regime. The
accuracy on multiple-planet orbit reconstruction and mass determination suffers
a typical degradation of 30-40% with respect to single-planet solutions; mass
and orbital inclination can be measured to better than 10% for periods as short
as 0.1 yr, and for as low as , while
is required in order to measure with similar
accuracy systems harboring objects with periods as long as three times the
mission duration. For systems with all components producing
or greater, quasi-coplanarity can be reliably
established with uncertainties of a few degrees, for periods in the range
yr; in systems where at least one component has
, coplanarity measurements are compromised, with typical
uncertainties on the mutual inclinations of order of . Our
findings are illustrative of the importance of the contribution SIM will make
to the fields of formation and evolution of planetary systems.Comment: 61 pages, 14 figures, 5 tables, to appear in the September 2003 Issue
of the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacifi
Detection and measurement of planetary systems with GAIA
We use detailed numerical simulations and the Andromedae,
planetary system as a template to evaluate the capability of the ESA
Cornerstone Mission GAIA in detecting and measuring multiple planets around
solar-type stars in the neighborhood of the Solar System. For the outer two
planets of the Andromedae, system, GAIA high-precision global
astrometric measurements would provide estimates of the full set of orbital
elements and masses accurate to better than 1--10%, and would be capable of
addressing the coplanarity issue by determining the true geometry of the system
with uncertainties of order of a few degrees. Finally, we discuss the
generalization to a variety of configurations of potential planetary systems in
the solar neighborhood for which GAIA could provide accurate measurements of
unique value for the science of extra-solar planets.Comment: 4 pages, 2 pictures, accepted for publication in A&A Letter
Testing Planet Formation Models with Gaia as Astrometry
In this paper, we first summarize the results of a large-scale double-blind
tests campaign carried out for the realistic estimation of the Gaia potential
in detecting and measuring planetary systems. Then, we put the identified
capabilities in context by highlighting the unique contribution that the Gaia
exoplanet discoveries will be able to bring to the science of extrasolar
planets during the next decade.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. To appear in the proceedings of "IAU Symposium 248
- A Giant Step: from Milli- to Micro-arcsecond Astrometry", held in Shanghai,
China, 15-19 Oct. 200
The evolution of field early-type galaxies to z~0.7
We have measured the Fundamental Plane (FP) parameters for a sample of 30
field early-type galaxies (E/S0) in the redshift range 0.1<z<0.66. We find
that: i) the FP is defined and tight out to the highest redshift bin; ii) the
intercept \gamma evolves as d\gamma/dz=0.58+0.09-0.13 (for \Omega=0.3,
\Omega_{\Lambda}=0.7), or, in terms of average effective mass to light ratio,
as d\log(M/L_B)/dz=-0.72+0.11-0.16, i.e. faster than is observed for cluster
E/S0 -0.49+-0.05. In addition, we detect [OII] emission >5\AA in 22% of an
enlarged sample of 42 massive E/S0 in the range 0.1<z<0.73, in contrast with
the quiescent population observed in clusters at similar z. We interpret these
findings as evidence that a significant fraction of massive field E/S0
experiences secondary episodes of star-formation at z<1.Comment: ApJ Letters, in pres
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