Imaging low-mass planets within the habitable zone of α Centauri
| Autor: | Kjetil Dohlen, Christian Delacroix, Prashant Pathak, Nancy Ageorges, Ralf Siebenmorgen, Arthur Vigan, G. Orban de Xivry, D. Mawet, Serban Leveratto, Garreth Ruane, Pontus Forsberg, Robin Arsenault, Sven Gutruf, A. Boehle, Kevin Wagner, Alexis Carlotti, M. Kasper, Christian Soenke, Arnd Reutlinger, P. Duhoux, Elsa Huby, M. Riquelme, Pierre Kervella, Gerd Jakob, Michael Sterzik, Daniel Apai, Mikael Karlsson, Eloy Fuenteseca, Eric Pantin, Elodie Choquet, U. Käufl, P. Klupar, A. L. Maire, Sascha P. Quanz, T. de Zeeuw, Johann Kolb, Mamadou N'Diaye, Olivier Absil, O. Guyon, Gérard Zins, Dirk Kampf, J. P. Kirchbauer |
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| Přispěvatelé: | European Southern Observatory (ESO), INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova (OAPD), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation (AIM (UMR_7158 / UMR_E_9005 / UM_112)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Paris (UP), Joseph Louis LAGRANGE (LAGRANGE), Université Côte d'Azur (UCA)-Université Nice Sophia Antipolis (... - 2019) (UNS), COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015 - 2019) (COMUE UCA)-COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015 - 2019) (COMUE UCA)-Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015 - 2019) (COMUE UCA)-Université Côte d'Azur (UCA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur (OCA), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Science
General Physics and Astronomy Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics Astrophysics - Earth and planetary astrophysics 01 natural sciences Article General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology Astrophysics - solar and stellar astrophysics 010309 optics Astronomi astrofysik och kosmologi Planet Teknik och teknologier 0103 physical sciences Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Astronomy Astrophysics and Cosmology Author Correction 010303 astronomy & astrophysics Computer Science::Databases Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics Physics [PHYS]Physics [physics] Multidisciplinary [SDU.ASTR]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph] Exoplanets Astrophysics::Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics Astronomy General Chemistry Exoplanet Stars 13. Climate action [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics] Engineering and Technology Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics Low Mass Circumstellar habitable zone |
| Zdroj: | Nature Communications Nature Communications, 2021, 12 (1), ⟨10.1038/s41467-021-21176-6⟩ Nature Communications, Vol 12, Iss 1, Pp 1-7 (2021) Nature Communications, 12 (1) Nature Communications, 12 Nature Communications, Nature Publishing Group, 2021, 12 (1), ⟨10.1038/s41467-021-21176-6⟩ |
| ISSN: | 2041-1723 |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41467-021-21176-6⟩ |
| Popis: | Giant exoplanets on wide orbits have been directly imaged around young stars. If the thermal background in the mid-infrared can be mitigated, then exoplanets with lower masses can also be imaged. Here we present a ground-based mid-infrared observing approach that enables imaging low-mass temperate exoplanets around nearby stars, and in particular within the closest stellar system, Alpha Centauri. Based on 75-80% of the best quality images from 100 hours of cumulative observations, we demonstrate sensitivity to warm sub-Neptune-sized planets throughout much of the habitable zone of Alpha Centauri A. This is an order of magnitude more sensitive than state-of-the-art exoplanet imaging mass detection limits. We also discuss a possible exoplanet or exozodiacal disk detection around Alpha Centauri A. However, an instrumental artifact of unknown origin cannot be ruled out. These results demonstrate the feasibility of imaging rocky habitable-zone exoplanets with current and upcoming telescopes. Comment: 29 pages, 11 figures, published in Nature Communications |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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