2,566 research outputs found
Mapping the Shores of the Brown Dwarf Desert. I. Upper Scorpius
We present the results of a survey for stellar and substellar companions to 82 young stars in the nearby OB association Upper Scorpius. This survey used nonredundant aperture mask interferometry to achieve typical contrast
limits of ΔK ~5-6 at the diffraction limit, revealing 12 new binary companions that lay below the detection limits
of traditional high-resolution imaging; we also summarize a complementary snapshot imaging survey that discovered
seven directly resolved companions. The overall frequency of binary companions (~35 +5 -4% at separations of
6-435 AU) appears to be equivalent to field stars of similar mass, but companions could be more common among
lower mass stars than for the field. The companion mass function has statistically significant differences compared to several suggested mass functions for the field, and we suggest an alternate lognormal parameterization of the mass function. Our survey limits encompass the entire brown dwarf mass range, but we only detected a single companion that might be a brown dwarf; this deficit resembles the so-called brown dwarf desert that has been observed by radial velocity planet searches. Finally, our survey’s deep detection limits extend into the top of the planetary mass function, reaching 8-12 MJup for half of our sample. We have not identified any planetary companions at high confidence (≳99.5%), but we have identified four candidate companions at lower confidence (≳97.5%) that merit additional follow-up to confirm or disprove their existence
Exoplanets imaging with a Phase-Induced Amplitude Apodization Coronagraph - I. Principle
Using 2 aspheric mirrors, it is possible to apodize a telescope beam without
losing light or angular resolution: the output beam is produced by
``remapping'' the entrance beam to produce the desired light intensity
distribution in a new pupil. We present the Phase-Induced Amplitude Apodization
Coronagraph (PIAAC) concept, which uses this technique, and we show that it
allows efficient direct imaging of extrasolar terrestrial planets with a
small-size telescope in space. The suitability of the PIAAC for exoplanet
imaging is due to a unique combination of achromaticity, small inner working
angle (about 1.5 ), high throughput, high angular resolution and
large field of view. 3D geometrical raytracing is used to investigate the
off-axis aberrations of PIAAC configurations, and show that a field of view of
more than 100 in radius is available thanks to the correcting
optics of the PIAAC. Angular diameter of the star and tip-tilt errors can be
compensated for by slightly increasing the size of the occulting mask in the
focal plane, with minimal impact on the system performance. Earth-size planets
at 10 pc can be detected in less than 30s with a 4m telescope. Wavefront
quality requirements are similar to classical techniques.Comment: 35 pages, 16 figures, Accepted for publication in Ap
Examining the Value of Expert Testimony regarding Warnings
This alternative format session is designed to examine the value of expert testimony related to warnings. Specific objectives of the session include informing HFES members of the views of some members of the legal community who question the value and appropriateness of expert testimony regarding warnings; identifying appropriate responses to such positions; discussing the basic role that experts play in assisting the litigation process; and describing and discussing the perceptions and experiences of HFES members regarding the value of their activities in forensic matters.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline
Coronagraphic Low Order Wave Front Sensor : post-processing sensitivity enhancer for high performance coronagraphs
Detection and characterization of exoplanets by direct imaging requires a
coronagraph designed to deliver high contrast at small angular separation. To
achieve this, an accurate control of low order aberrations, such as pointing
and focus errors, is essential to optimize coronagraphic rejection and avoid
the possible confusion between exoplanet light and coronagraphic leaks in the
science image. Simulations and laboratory prototyping have shown that a
Coronagraphic Low Order Wave-Front Sensor (CLOWFS), using a single defocused
image of a reflective focal plane ring, can be used to control tip-tilt to an
accuracy of 10^{-3} lambda/D. This paper demonstrates that the data acquired by
CLOWFS can also be used in post-processing to calibrate residual coronagraphic
leaks from the science image. Using both the CLOWFS camera and the science
camera in the system, we quantify the accuracy of the method and its ability to
successfully remove light due to low order errors from the science image. We
also report the implementation and performance of the CLOWFS on the Subaru
Coronagraphic Extreme AO (SCExAO) system and its expected on-sky performance.
In the laboratory, with a level of disturbance similar to what is encountered
in a post Adaptive Optics beam, CLOWFS post-processing has achieved speckle
calibration to 1/300 of the raw speckle level. This is about 40 times better
than could be done with an idealized PSF subtraction that does not rely on
CLOWFS.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in PAS
Direct Detection of the Brown Dwarf GJ 802B with Adaptive Optics Masking Interferometry
We have used the Palomar 200" Adaptive Optics (AO) system to directly detect
the astrometric brown dwarf GJ 802B reported by Pravdo et al. 2005. This
observation is achieved with a novel combination of aperture masking
interferometry and AO. The dynamical masses are 0.1750.021 M and
0.0640.032 M for the primary and secondary respectively. The
inferred absolute H band magnitude of GJ 802B is M=12.8 resulting in a
model-dependent T of 1850 50K and mass range of
0.057--0.074 M.Comment: 4 Pages, 5 figures, emulateapj format, submitted to ApJ
Notes on Recent Cases
Notes on recent cases by Albert T. Frantz, Henry Hasley, Edward P. McGuire, William Coyne, John P. Berscheid, Ivan J. LeBlanc, E. F. McClarnon, Seymour Weisberger, and Thomas J. Griffin
Direct Photons at RHIC
The PHENIX experiment has measured direct photons in
GeV Au+Au collisions and p+p collisions. The fraction of photons due to direct
production in Au+Au collisions is shown as a function of and centrality.
This measurement is compared with expectation from pQCD calculations. Other
possible sources of direct photons are discussed.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, presented at Hot Quarks 2004, Taos, N
Precision Masses of the low-mass binary system GJ 623
We have used Aperture Masking Interferometry and Adaptive Optics (AO) at the
Palomar 200'' to obtain precise mass measurements of the binary M dwarf GJ 623.
AO observations spread over 3 years combined with a decade of radial velocity
measurements constrain all orbital parameters of the GJ 623 binary system
accurately enough to critically challenge the models. The dynamical masses
measured are m_{1}=0.371\pm0.015 M_{\sun} (4%) and m_{2}=0.115\pm0.0023
M_{\sun} (2%) for the primary and the secondary respectively. Models are not
consistent with color and mass, requiring very low metallicities.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for Ap
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