1,191 research outputs found
Apodization in high-contrast long-slit spectroscopy. Closer, deeper, fainter, cooler
The spectroscopy of faint planetary-mass companions to nearby stars is one of
the main challenges that new-generation high-contrast spectro-imagers are going
to face. In a previous work we presented a long slit coronagraph (LSC), for
which the presence of a slit in the coronagraphic focal plane induces a complex
distribution of energy in the Lyot pupil-plane that cannot be easily masked
with a binary Lyot stop. To alleviate this concern, we propose to use a pupil
apodization to suppress diffraction, creating an apodized long slit coronagraph
(ALSC). After describing how the apodization is optimized, we demonstrate its
advantages with respect to the CLC in the context of SPHERE/IRDIS long slit
spectroscopy (LSS) mode at low-resolution with a 0.12" slit and 0.18"
coronagraphic mask. We perform different sets of simulations with and without
aberrations, and with and without a slit to demonstrate that the apodization is
a more appropriate concept for LSS, at the expense of a significantly reduced
throughput (37%) compared to the LSC. Then we perform detailed end-to-end
simulations of the LSC and the ALSC that include realistic levels of
aberrations to obtain datasets representing 1h of integration time on stars of
spectral types A0 to M0 located at 10 pc. We insert spectra of planetary
companions at different effective temperatures (Teff) and surface gravities
(log g) into the data at angular separations of 0.3" to 1.5" and with contrast
ratios from 6 to 18 mag. Using the SD method to subtract the speckles, we show
that the ALSC brings a gain in sensitivity of up to 3 mag at 0.3" with respect
to the LSC, which leads to a much better spectral extraction below 0.5". In
terms of Teff, we demonstrate that at small angular separations the limit with
the ALSC is always lower by at least 100K, inducing an increase of sensitivity
of a factor up to 1.8 in objects' masses at young ages. [Abridged]Comment: 15 pages, 17 figures. Accepted for publication in A&
First light of the VLT planet finder SPHERE I. Detection and characterization of the substellar companion GJ 758B
GJ 758 B is a brown dwarf companion to a nearby (15.76%) solar-type, metal-rich (M / H = + 0.2 dex) main-sequence star (G9V) that was discovered with Subaru/HiCIAO in 2009. From previous studies, it has drawn attention as being the coldest (~600 K) companion ever directly imaged around a neighboring star. We present new high-contrast data obtained during the commissioning of the SPHERE instrument at the Very Large Telescope (VLT). The data was obtained in Y-, J-, H-, and K_s-bands with the dual-band imaging (DBI) mode of IRDIS, thus providing a broad coverage of the full near-infrared (near-IR) range at higher contrast and better spectral sampling than previously reported. In this new set of high-quality data, we report the re-detection of the companion, as well as the first detection of a new candidate closer-in to the star. We use the new eight photometric points for an extended comparison of GJ 758 B with empirical objects and four families of atmospheric models. From comparison to empirical object, we estimate a T8 spectral type, but none of the comparison objects can accurately represent the observed near-IR fluxes of GJ 758 B. From comparison to atmospheric models, we attribute a T_(eff) = 600 ± 100 K, but we find that no atmospheric model can adequately fit all the fluxes of GJ 758 B. The lack of exploration of metal enrichment in model grids appears as a major limitation that prevents an accurate estimation of the companion physical parameters. The photometry of the new candidate companion is broadly consistent with L-type objects, but a second epoch with improved photometry is necessary to clarify its status. The new astrometry of GJ 758 B shows a significant proper motion since the last epoch. We use this result to improve the determination of the orbital characteristics using two fitting approaches: Least-Squares Monte Carlo and Markov chain Monte Carlo. We confirm the high-eccentricity of the orbit (peak at 0.5), and find a most likely semi-major axis of 46.05 AU. We also use our imaging data, as well as archival radial velocity data, to reject the possibility that this is a false positive effect created by an unseen, closer-in, companion. Finally, we analyze the sensitivity of our data to additional closer-in companions and reject the possibility of other massive brown dwarf companions down to 4–5 AU
The VLT/NaCo large program to probe the occurrence of exoplanets and brown dwarfs at wide orbits. IV. Gravitational instability rarely forms wide, giant planets
Understanding the formation and evolution of giant planets (≥1 M_(Jup)) at wide orbital separation (≥5 AU) is one of the goals of direct imaging. Over the past 15 yr, many surveys have placed strong constraints on the occurrence rate of wide-orbit giants, mostly based on non-detections, but very few have tried to make a direct link with planet formation theories. In the present work, we combine the results of our previously published VLT/NaCo large program with the results of 12 past imaging surveys to constitute a statistical sample of 199 FGK stars within 100 pc, including three stars with sub-stellar companions. Using Monte Carlo simulations and assuming linear flat distributions for the mass and semi-major axis of planets, we estimate the sub-stellar companion frequency to be within 0.75–5.70% at the 68% confidence level (CL) within 20–300 AU and 0.5–75 M_(Jup), which is compatible with previously published results. We also compare our results with the predictions of state-of-the-art population synthesis models based on the gravitational instability (GI) formation scenario with and without scattering. We estimate that in both the scattered and non-scattered populations, we would be able to detect more than 30% of companions in the 1–75 M_(Jup) range (95% CL). With the threesub-stellar detections in our sample, we estimate the fraction of stars that host a planetary system formed by GI to be within 1.0–8.6% (95% CL). We also conclude that even though GI is not common, it predicts a mass distribution of wide-orbit massive companions that is much closer to what is observed than what the core accretion scenario predicts. Finally, we associate the present paper with the release of the Direct Imaging Virtual Archive (DIVA), a public database that aims at gathering the results of past, present, and future direct imaging surveys
High-contrast imaging of Sirius~A with VLT/SPHERE: Looking for giant planets down to one astronomical unit
Sirius has always attracted a lot of scientific interest, especially after
the discovery of a companion white dwarf at the end of the 19th century. Very
early on, the existence of a potential third body was put forward to explain
some of the observed properties of the system. We present new coronagraphic
observations obtained with VLT/SPHERE that explore, for the very first time,
the innermost regions of the system down to 0.2" (0.5 AU) from Sirius A. Our
observations cover the near-infrared from 0.95 to 2.3 m and they offer the
best on-sky contrast ever reached at these angular separations. After detailing
the steps of our SPHERE/IRDIFS data analysis, we present a robust method to
derive detection limits for multi-spectral data from high-contrast imagers and
spectrographs. In terms of raw performance, we report contrasts of 14.3 mag at
0.2", ~16.3 mag in the 0.4-1.0" range and down to 19 mag at 3.7". In physical
units, our observations are sensitive to giant planets down to 11 at
0.5 AU, 6-7 in the 1-2 AU range and ~4 at 10 AU. Despite
the exceptional sensitivity of our observations, we do not report the detection
of additional companions around Sirius A. Using a Monte Carlo orbital analysis,
we show that we can reject, with about 50% probability, the existence of an 8
planet orbiting at 1 AU. In addition to the results presented in the
paper, we provide our SPHERE/IFS data reduction pipeline at
http://people.lam.fr/vigan.arthur/ under the MIT license.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
High-contrast spectroscopy of SCR J1845-6357 B
Spectral characterization of sub-stellar companions is essential to
understand their composition and formation processes. However, the large
contrast ratio of the brightness of each object to that of its parent star
limits our ability to extract a clean spectrum, free from any significant
contribution from the star. During the development of the long slit
spectroscopy (LSS) mode of IRDIS, the dual-band imager and spectrograph of
SPHERE, we proposed a data analysis method to estimate and remove the
contributions of the stellar spectrum. This method has never been tested on
real data because of the lack of instrumentation capable of combining adaptive
optics (AO), coronagraphy, and LSS. Nonetheless, a similar attenuation of the
star can be obtained using a particular observing configuration. Test data were
acquired using the AO-assisted spectrograph VLT/NACO. We obtained new J- and
H-band spectra of SCR J1845-6357 B, a T6 companion to a nearby (3.85\pm0.02 pc)
M8 star. This system is a well-suited benchmark as it is relatively wide
(~1.0") with a modest contrast ratio (~4 mag), and a previously published JHK
spectrum is available for reference. We demonstrate that (1) our method is
efficient at estimating and removing the stellar contribution, (2) it allows to
properly recover the spectral shape of the companion, and (3) it is essential
to obtain an unbiased estimation of physical parameters. We also show that the
slit configuration associated with this method allows us to use long exposure
times with high throughput producing high signal-to-noise ratio data. However,
the signal of the companion gets over-subtracted, particularly in our J-band
data, compelling us to use a fake companion spectrum to estimate and compensate
for the loss of flux. Finally, we report a new astrometric measurement of the
position of the companion (sep = 0.817", PA = 227.92 deg).Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, 4 tables. Accepted for publication in A&
Constraining the mass of the planet(s) sculpting a disk cavity. The intriguing case of 2MASS J16042165-2130284
The large cavities observed in the dust and gas distributions of transition
disks may be explained by planet-disk interactions. At ~145 pc, 2MASS
J16042165-2130284 (J1604) is a 5-12 Myr old transitional disk with different
gap sizes in the mm- and m-sized dust distributions (outer edges at ~79
and at ~63 au, respectively). Its CO emission shows a ~30 au cavity.
This radial structure suggests that giant planets are sculpting this disk. We
aim to constrain the masses and locations of plausible giant planets around
J1604. We observed J1604 with the Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet
REsearch (SPHERE) at the Very Large Telescope (VLT), in IRDIFS\_EXT,
pupil-stabilized mode, obtaining YJH- band images with the integral field
spectrograph (IFS) and K1K2-band images with the Infra-Red Dual-beam Imager and
Spectrograph (IRDIS). The dataset was processed exploiting the angular
differential imaging (ADI) technique with high-contrast algorithms. Our
observations reach a contrast of ~12 mag from 0.15" to 0.80"
(~22 to 115 au), but no planet candidate is detected. The disk is directly
imaged in scattered light at all bands from Y to K, and it shows a red color.
This indicates that the dust particles in the disk surface are mainly
m-sized grains. We confirm the sharp dip/decrement in
scattered light in agreement with polarized light observations. Comparing our
images with a radiative transfer model we argue that the southern side of the
disk is most likely the nearest. This work represents the deepest search yet
for companions around J1604. We reach a mass sensitivity of from ~22 to ~115 au according to a hot start scenario. We propose
that a brown dwarf orbiting inside of ~15 au and additional Jovian planets at
larger radii could account for the observed properties of J1604 while
explaining our lack of detection.Comment: 10 pages, 7 Figures. Accepted for publication in A&A . Abridged
abstrac
High-Cadence, High-Contrast Imaging for Exoplanet Mapping: Observations of the HR 8799 Planets with VLT/SPHERE Satellite Spot-Corrected Relative Photometry
Time-resolved photometry is an important new probe of the physics of
condensate clouds in extrasolar planets and brown dwarfs. Extreme adaptive
optics systems can directly image planets, but precise brightness measurements
are challenging. We present VLT/SPHERE high-contrast, time-resolved broad
H-band near-infrared photometry for four exoplanets in the HR 8799 system,
sampling changes from night to night over five nights with relatively short
integrations. The photospheres of these four planets are often modeled by
patchy clouds and may show large-amplitude rotational brightness modulations.
Our observations provide high-quality images of the system. We present a
detailed performance analysis of different data analysis approaches to
accurately measure the relative brightnesses of the four exoplanets. We explore
the information in satellite spots and demonstrate their use as a proxy for
image quality. While the brightness variations of the satellite spots are
strongly correlated, we also identify a second-order anti-correlation pattern
between the different spots. Our study finds that PCA-based KLIP reduction with
satellite spot-modulated artificial planet-injection based photometry (SMAP)
leads to a significant (~3x) gain in photometric accuracy over standard
aperture-based photometry and reaches 0.1 mag per point accuracy for our
dataset, the signal-to-noise of which is limited by small field rotation.
Relative planet-to-planet photometry can be compared be- tween nights, enabling
observations spanning multiple nights to probe variability. Recent high-quality
relative H-band photometry of the b-c planet pair agree to about 1%.Comment: Astrophysical Journal, in pres
First light of the VLT planet finder SPHERE I. Detection and characterization of the substellar companion GJ 758B
GJ 758 B is a brown dwarf companion to a nearby (15.76%) solar-type, metal-rich (M / H = + 0.2 dex) main-sequence star (G9V) that was discovered with Subaru/HiCIAO in 2009. From previous studies, it has drawn attention as being the coldest (~600 K) companion ever directly imaged around a neighboring star. We present new high-contrast data obtained during the commissioning of the SPHERE instrument at the Very Large Telescope (VLT). The data was obtained in Y-, J-, H-, and K_s-bands with the dual-band imaging (DBI) mode of IRDIS, thus providing a broad coverage of the full near-infrared (near-IR) range at higher contrast and better spectral sampling than previously reported. In this new set of high-quality data, we report the re-detection of the companion, as well as the first detection of a new candidate closer-in to the star. We use the new eight photometric points for an extended comparison of GJ 758 B with empirical objects and four families of atmospheric models. From comparison to empirical object, we estimate a T8 spectral type, but none of the comparison objects can accurately represent the observed near-IR fluxes of GJ 758 B. From comparison to atmospheric models, we attribute a T_(eff) = 600 ± 100 K, but we find that no atmospheric model can adequately fit all the fluxes of GJ 758 B. The lack of exploration of metal enrichment in model grids appears as a major limitation that prevents an accurate estimation of the companion physical parameters. The photometry of the new candidate companion is broadly consistent with L-type objects, but a second epoch with improved photometry is necessary to clarify its status. The new astrometry of GJ 758 B shows a significant proper motion since the last epoch. We use this result to improve the determination of the orbital characteristics using two fitting approaches: Least-Squares Monte Carlo and Markov chain Monte Carlo. We confirm the high-eccentricity of the orbit (peak at 0.5), and find a most likely semi-major axis of 46.05 AU. We also use our imaging data, as well as archival radial velocity data, to reject the possibility that this is a false positive effect created by an unseen, closer-in, companion. Finally, we analyze the sensitivity of our data to additional closer-in companions and reject the possibility of other massive brown dwarf companions down to 4–5 AU
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