THE GEMINI NICI PLANET-FINDING CAMPAIGN: DISCOVERY OF A CLOSE SUBSTELLAR COMPANION TO THE YOUNG DEBRIS DISK STAR PZ Tel

Biller, Beth; Liu, Mengmeng; Wahhaj, Z.; Nielsen, Eric L.; Close, Laird M.; Dupuy, Trent J.; Hayward, T. L.; Burrows, Adam; Chun, Mark; Ftaclas, C.; Clarke, Fraser; Hartung, Markus; Males, Jared R.; Reid, I. Neill; Shkolnik, Evgenya L.; Skemer, Andrew J.; Tecza, Matthias; Thatte, Niranjan; Alencar, S. H. P.; Artymowicz, Pawel; Boss, Alan P.; Pino, E. M. de Gouveia Dal; Gregorio-Hetem, J.; Ida, Shigeru; Kuchner, Marc J.; Lin, D. N. C.; Toomey, Douglas W.

doi:10.1088/2041-8205/720/1/l82

Cited by 130 publications

(125 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Some objects were nonetheless discovered (e.g. Lafrenière et al 2008;Thalmann et al 2009;Biller et al 2010), demonstrating that these objects exist, but are indeed rare (Nielsen & Close 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The International Deep Planet Survey

Vigan

Patience

Marois

et al. 2012

A&A

154

200

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Breakthrough direct detections of planetary companions orbiting A-type stars confirm the existence of massive planets at relatively large separations, but dedicated surveys are required to estimate the frequency of similar planetary systems. To measure the first estimation of the giant exoplanetary systems frequency at large orbital separation around A-stars, we have conducted a deep-imaging survey of young (8−400 Myr), nearby (19−84 pc) A-and F-stars to search for substellar companions in the ∼10−300 AU range. The sample of 42 stars combines all A-stars observed in previous AO planet search surveys reported in the literature with new AO observations from VLT/NaCo and Gemini/NIRI. It represents an initial subset of the International Deep Planet Survey (IDPS) sample of stars covering M-to B-stars. The data were obtained with diffraction-limited observations in H-and K s -band combined with angular differential imaging to suppress the speckle noise of the central stars, resulting in typical 5σ detection limits in magnitude difference of 12 mag at 1 , 14 mag at 2 and 16 mag at 5 which is sufficient to detect massive planets. A detailed statistical analysis of the survey results is performed using Monte Carlo simulations. Considering the planet detections, we estimate the fraction of A-stars having at least one massive planet (3−14 M Jup ) in the range 5−320 AU to be inside 5.9−18.8% at 68% confidence, assuming a flat distribution for the mass of the planets. By comparison, the brown dwarf (15−75 M Jup ) frequency for the sample is 2.0−8.9% at 68% confidence in the range 5−320 AU. Assuming power law distributions for the mass and semimajor axis of the planet population, the AO data are consistent with a declining number of massive planets with increasing orbital radius which is distinct from the rising slope inferred from radial velocity (RV) surveys around evolved A-stars and suggests that the peak of the massive planet population around A-stars may occur at separations between the ranges probed by existing RV and AO observations. Finally, we report the discovery of three new close M-star companions to HIP 104365 and HIP 42334.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The International Deep Planet Survey

Vigan

Patience

Marois

et al. 2012

A&A

154

200

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“…Lagrange et al 2010;Marois et al 2010;Carson et al 2013;Kuzuhara et al 2013;Rameau et al 2013b) and brown-dwarf companions (e.g. Thalmann et al 2009;Biller et al 2010). However, the published imaging surveys have largely avoided close binary targets, leaving a vast unexplored territory in the parameter space of circumbinary planets.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

SPOTS: The Search for Planets Orbiting Two Stars

Thalmann

Desidera

Bonavita

et al. 2014

A&A

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Direct imaging surveys for exoplanets commonly exclude binary stars from their target lists, leaving a large part of the overall planet demography unexplored. To address this gap in our understanding of planet formation and evolution, we have launched the first directimaging survey dedicated to circumbinary planets: SPOTS, the Search for Planets Orbiting Two Stars. We discuss the theoretical context, scientific merit, and technical feasibility of such observations, describe the target sample and observational strategy of our survey, and report on the first results from our pilot survey of 26 targets with the VLT NaCo facility. While we have not found any confirmed substellar companions to date, a number of promising candidate companions remain to be tested for common proper motion in upcoming follow-up observations. We also report on the astrometry of the three resolved binaries in our target sample. This pilot survey constitutes a successful proof of concept for our survey strategy and paves the way for a second stage in the exploratory observations with VLT SPHERE.

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“…The total mass was estimated to be 0.1095 ± 0.0022 M (Dupuy & Liu 2011) and the age 0.93 Gyr. PZ Telescopii B is a BD companion with a mass of 24-40 M Jupiter at a projected separation of ∼15 AU (Biller et al 2010;Mugrauer et al 2010). It is a member of the β Pic moving group.…”

Section: Datasetmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other than a few planets (e.g., Kuzuhara et al 2013;Rameau et al 2013b) and brown dwarfs (BDs; e.g., Chauvin et al 2005b;Biller et al 2010;Mugrauer et al 2010;Wahhaj et al 2011;Carson et al 2013) detected, many surveys found no planetary companions. The null results cannot be used to fit power-laws to the planetary distributions beyond 10 AU.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The VLT/NaCo large program to probe the occurrence of exoplanets and brown dwarfs at wide orbits

Reggiani

Meyer

Chauvin

et al. 2016

A&A

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Context. In recent years there have been many attempts to characterize the occurrence and distribution of stellar, brown dwarf (BD), and planetary-mass companions to solar-type stars with the aim of constraining formation mechanisms. From radial velocity observations a dearth of companions with masses between 10-40 M Jupiter has been noticed at close separations, suggesting the possibility of a distinct formation mechanism for objects above and below this range. Aims. We present a model for the substellar companion mass function (CMF). This model consists of the superposition of the planet and BD companion mass distributions, assuming that we can extrapolate the radial velocity measured CMF for planets to larger separations and the stellar companion mass-ratio distribution over all separations into the BD mass regime. By using both the results of the VLT/NaCo large program (NaCo-LP) and the complementary archive datasets, which probe the occurrence of planets and BDs on wide orbits around solar-type stars, we place some constraints on the planet and BD distributions. Methods. We developed a Monte Carlo simulation tool to predict the outcome of a given survey, depending on the shape of the orbital parameter distributions (mass, semimajor axis, eccentricity, and inclination). Comparing the predictions with the results of the observations, we calculate the likelihood of different models and which models can be ruled out. Results. Current observations are consistent with the proposed model for the CMF, as long as a sufficiently small outer truncation radius ( 100 AU) is introduced for the planet separation distribution. Some regions of parameter space can be excluded by the observations. Conclusions. We conclude that the results of the direct imaging surveys searching for substellar companions around Sun-like stars are consistent with a combined substellar mass spectrum of planets and BDs. This mass distribution has a minimum between 10 and 50 M Jupiter , in agreement with radial velocity measurements. In this picture the dearth of objects in this mass range would naturally arise from the shape of the mass distribution, without the introduction of any distinct formation mechanism for BDs. This kind of model for the CMF allows us to determine the probability for a substellar companion as a function of mass to have formed in a disk or from protostellar core fragmentation, as such mechanisms overlap in this mass range.

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THE GEMINI NICI PLANET-FINDING CAMPAIGN: DISCOVERY OF A CLOSE SUBSTELLAR COMPANION TO THE YOUNG DEBRIS DISK STAR PZ Tel

Cited by 130 publications

References 49 publications

The International Deep Planet Survey

The International Deep Planet Survey

SPOTS: The Search for Planets Orbiting Two Stars

The VLT/NaCo large program to probe the occurrence of exoplanets and brown dwarfs at wide orbits

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