Rahul Sharma (Editor)

Strategic Explorations of Exoplanets and Disks with Subaru

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Strategic Explorations of Exoplanets and Disks with Subaru

Strategic Explorations of Exoplanets and Disks with Subaru (SEEDS) is a multi-year survey that used the Subaru Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii in an effort to directly image extrasolar planets and protoplanetary/debris disks around several hundred nearby stars. Near-infrared imaging was carried out using the AO188 Adaptive Optics System and HiCIAO high-contrast imaging instrument. The survey is headquartered at National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and led by Principal Investigator Motohide Tamura. The survey team includes over a hundred members from dozens of institutes around the world. Observations began in late October 2009, and finished in early January 2015. The goals of the survey are to address the following key issues in exoplanet∕disk science: (1) the detection and census of exoplanets in the outer circumstellar regions around stars, (2) the evolution of protoplanetary and debris disks including their morphological diversity, and (3) the link between exoplanets and circumstellar disks.

Contents

Results

  • Direct imaging discovery of a cold Jovian exoplanet in orbit around the Sun-like star GJ 504
  • Direct imaging discovery of a Super-Jupiter around the late B-Type Star Kappa Andromedae
  • Discovery and characterization of GJ 758 B
  • New high resolution imaging of the AB Aurigae system
  • Detection of extended outer regions of the debris ring around HR 4796 A
  • New reflected light imaging of the transitional disk gap around LkCa 15
  • Explorations for outer massive bodies around the transiting planet system HAT-P-7
  • Imaging discovery of the debris disk around HIP 79977
  • First infrared images of the inner gap in the 2MASS J16042165-2130284 transitional disk.
  • Direct imaging discovery of a giant inner gap in the protoplanetary disk around PDS 70
  • Discovery of spiral structures in the transitional disk around SAO 206462
  • Discovery of a stellar companion to the extrasolar planet system HAT-P-7
  • Near-IR scattered light detection of the spiral-armed transitional disk of the star MWC 758
  • Direct imaging of the UX Tau A pre-transitional disk revealing gap structures
  • Scattered light imaging of the MWC 80 protoplanetary disk at a historic minimum of the near-IR excess
  • High-contrast imaging discovery of architecture in the LkCa 15 transitional disk
  • Submillimeter and near-infrared observation of the transitional disk around Sz 91
  • First high resolution infrared images of circumstellar disk around SU Aur revealing tidal-like tails

    • Summary

  • From SEEDS, 3 direct imaging discovery of planets and boundary-mass-objects (GJ 504 b, κ And b, GJ 758 b) and 3 brown dwarfs detection in Pleiades. GJ 504b is a cold Jovian planet orbiting a relatively old Sun-like star and has unique atmospheric features. One young planet is also confirmed (HD 100546 b). Wide-orbit planets population can be explained as a single distribution and its frequency is ~2% from SEEDS preliminary results. Many circumstellar disks are detected down to radius r=0.1”. Fine structures such as gaps and spirals of <100 au scale are discovered for the first time, which are possible signs of planet formations. With the latest ALMA performance, these NIR scattering data will complement the submillimeter thermal emission from various disks (HL Tau, TW Hya).

    • References

    Strategic Explorations of Exoplanets and Disks with Subaru Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA