FIRST RESULTS FROM VERY LARGE TELESCOPE NACO APODIZING PHASE PLATE: 4 {mu}m IMAGES OF THE EXOPLANET {beta} PICTORIS b
- Institute for Astronomy, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 27, 8093 Zurich (Switzerland)
- Sterrewacht Leiden, P.O. Box 9513, Niels Bohrweg 2, 2300 RA Leiden (Netherlands)
- European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Vitacura, Cassilla 19001, Santiago (Chile)
- European Southern Observatory, Karl Schwarzschild Strasse, 2, 85748 Garching (Germany)
- Laboratoire dAstrophysique, Observatoire de Grenoble, Universite Joseph Fourier, CNRS, BP 53, F-38041 Grenoble (France)
- Space Telesope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)
- LESIA, UMR 8109 CNRS, Observatoire de Paris, UPMC, Universite Paris-Diderot, 5 place J. Janssen, 92195 Meudon (France)
- Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States)
- Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Koenigstuhl 17, 69117 Heidelberg (Germany)
Direct imaging of exoplanets requires both high contrast and high spatial resolution. Here, we present the first scientific results obtained with the newly commissioned apodizing phase plate coronagraph (APP) on VLT/NACO. We detected the exoplanet {beta} Pictoris b in the narrowband filter centered at 4.05 {mu}m (NB4.05). The position angle (209.{sup 0}13 {+-} 2.{sup 0}12) and the projected separation to its host star (0.''354 {+-} 0.''012, i.e., 6.8 {+-} 0.2 AU at a distance of 19.3 pc) are in good agreement with the recently presented data from Lagrange et al. Comparing the observed NB4.05 magnitude of 11.20 {+-} 0.23 mag to theoretical atmospheric models, we find a best fit with a 7-10 M {sub Jupiter} object for an age of 12 Myr, again in agreement with previous estimates. Combining our results with published L' photometry, we can compare the planet's [L' - NB4.05] color to that of cool field dwarfs of higher surface gravity suggesting an effective temperature of {approx}1700 K. The best-fit theoretical model predicts an effective temperature of {approx}1470 K, but this difference is not significant given our photometric uncertainties. Our results demonstrate the potential of NACO/APP for future planet searches and provide independent confirmation as well as complementary data for {beta} Pic b.
- OSTI ID:
- 21452763
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 722, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/722/1/L49; ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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