Direct detection of substellar companions to young nearby stars

• Applicant: Dr. Eike W. Guenther
• Subject Area: Astrophysics and Astronomy
• Term: from 2000 to 2001
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5284388

We plan to search for substellar companions (both brown dwarfs and giant planets) by direct imaging in the infrared with ALFA. To avoid the problem of dynamical range (faint companion very close to bright star), we will observe a specific sample: Nearby (10 to 70 pc) young (1 to 100 Myrs) stars, where companions are still self-lumious and well-separated from their primary stars. We can use the bright stars (all brigther than V = 11 mag) as natural guide stars. Depending on age and distance of the targets, 10 (or 60) Mjup mass substellar companions will have H- and K-band magnitudes raging from 15 to 20 (10 to 15)mag. This program may well result in the first direct imaging detection of an extra-solar planet.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants