Project 2.3: Direct imaging of forming and mature planetary systems
Project 2.3 is led by Sascha Quanz and consists of two work-packages related to high-contrast exoplanet imaging.
Work-package 1 aims at the direct detection of cool, long-period gas giant planets in the context of two exoplanet imaging surveys carried out with the SPHERE instrument at the VLT. The first survey, called VIBES (Visual Binary Exoplanet survey), is led by ETH and searches for exoplanets in young (<50 Myr), stellar binary systems in order to assess whether the occurrence rate of long-period gas giant planets in these systems is comparable to or different from that around single stars. The second survey, called BEAST (B-star Exoplanet Abundance Study) is a ~190 hours open time large program at the VLT led by Prof. Markus Janson in Stockholm. ~80 B-type stars with masses ranging from ~2.5-13 solar masses in the ScoCen star-forming region are surveyed in order to determine whether long-period gas giants are more abundant around these intermediate mass stars compared to, for instance, solar-type stars. This work-package has direct links to projects 2.1 and 2.4 and also Domain 1 and 3.
Work-package 2 is the continuation of a “New initiative project” that was started in Phase 1 of the NCCR PlanetS and aims at constraining the solar neighbourhood exoplanet census. The goal is to re-analyze archival direct imaging and radial velocity data for well-selected targets within ~15 pc and combine the results (possibly including GAIA measurements at one point in time) in order to derive unique constraints on the giant planet population in these systems. Where possible and useful we aim at obtaining new data with state-of-the-art instruments. This work-package will pave the way towards future observations of additional (or partly the same) targets with JWST, VLT/ERIS and ELT/METIS. This work-package has direct links to projects 2.1 and also Domain 3.
