ABSTRACT
Spatially resolved images of debris discs are necessary to determine disc morphological properties and the scattering phase function (SPF) thatantifies the brightness of scattered light as a ...function of phase angle. Current high-contrast imaging instruments have successfully resolved several dozens of debris discs around other stars, but few studies have investigated trends in the scattered-light, resolved population of debris discs in a uniform and consistent manner. We have combined Karhunen-Loeve Image Projection (KLIP) with radiative-transfer disc forward modelling in order to obtain the highest-quality image reductions and constrain disc morphological properties of eight debris discs imaged by the Gemini Planet Imager at H-band with a consistent and uniformly applied approach. In describing the scattering properties of our models, we assume a common SPF informed from solar system dust scattering measurements and apply it to all systems. We identify a diverse range of dust density properties among the sample, including critical radius, radial width, and vertical width. We also identify radially narrow and vertically extended discs that may have resulted from substellar companion perturbations, along with a tentative positive trend in disc eccentricity with relative disc width. We also find that using a common SPF can achieve reasonable model fits for discs that are axisymmetric and asymmetric when fitting models to each side of the disc independently, suggesting that scattering behaviour from debris discs may be similar to Solar system dust.
We present the first scattered-light images of two debris disks around the F8 star HD 104860 and the F0V star HD 192758, respectively ∼45 and ∼67 pc away. We detected these systems in the F110W and ...F160W filters through our reanalysis of archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) NICMOS data with modern starlight-subtraction techniques. Our image of HD 104860 confirms the morphology previously observed by Herschel in thermal emission with a well-defined ring at a radius of ∼114 au inclined by ∼58°. Although the outer edge profile is consistent with dynamical evolution models, the sharp inner edge suggests sculpting by unseen perturbers. Our images of HD 192758 reveal a disk at radius ∼95 au inclined by ∼59°, never resolved so far. These disks have low scattering albedos of 10% and 13%, respectively, inconsistent with water ice grain compositions. They are reminiscent of several other disks with similar inclination and scattering albedos: Fomalhaut, HD 92945, HD 202628, and HD 207129. They are also very distinct from brighter disks in the same inclination bin, which point to different compositions between these two populations. Varying scattering albedo values can be explained by different grain porosities, chemical compositions, or grain size distributions, which may indicate distinct formation mechanisms or dynamical processes at work in these systems. Finally, these faint disks with large infrared excesses may be representative of an underlying population of systems with low albedo values. Searches with more sensitive instruments on HST or on the James Webb Space Telescope and using state-of-the art starlight-subtraction methods may help discover more of such faint systems.
This paper presents a theoretical study of stellar coronagraphy with apodized entrance apertures. The study is restricted to a perfect telescope operating in space, and a monochromatic on-axis ...unresolved star. It is shown that linear prolate functions are the optimal apodizers for rectangular apertures in stellar coronagraphy. With the phase mask technique (Roddier & Roddier 1997), prolate functions can produce a total extinction of the star light. For Lyot's coronagraphy, the extinction is not complete, but prolate apodizations lead to an optimal star residual intensity with surprising interesting properties: the residual star light and the planet enjoy the same apodized intensity pattern (but different dynamic) with the optimal light concentration. With this technique, very high rejection rates can be obtained for Lyot's coronagraphy, with smaller mask sizes.
This paper generalizes to circular apertures the theoretical study of stellar coronagraphy with prolate apodized rectangular entrance apertures of Aime et al. (2002). The main difference between the ...two studies is that circular prolate spheroidal functions are used for a circular aperture instead of linear prolate spheroidal functions for rectangular apertures. Owing to the radial property of the problem, the solution to the general equation for coronagraphy is solved using a Hankel transform instead of a product of Fourier transforms in the rectangular case. This new theoretical study permits a better understanding of coronagraphy, stressing the importance of entrance pupil apodization. A comparison with the classical unapodized Lyot technique is performed: a typical gain of 104 to 106 can be obtained theoretically with this technique. Circular and rectangular apertures give overall comparable results: a total extinction of the star light is obtained for Roddier & Roddier's phase mask technique whilst optimal starlight rejections are obtained with a Lyot opaque mask. A precise comparison between a circular aperture and a square aperture of same surface favors the use of a circular aperture for detection of extrasolar planets.
Context. For direct imaging of exoplanets, a stellar coronagraph helps to remove the image of an observed bright star by attenuating the diffraction effects caused by the telescope aperture of ...diameter D. The dual zone phase mask (DZPM) coronagraph constitutes a promising concept since it theoretically offers a small inner working angle (IWA ~ λ0/D where λ0 denotes the central wavelength of the spectral range Δλ), good achromaticity, and high starlight rejection, typically reaching a 106 contrast at 5 λ0/D from the star over a spectral bandwidth Δλ/λ0 of 25% (similar to H-band). This last value proves to be encouraging for broadband imaging of young and warm Jupiter-like planets. Aims. Contrast levels higher than 106 are, however, required for observing older and/or less massive companions over a finite spectral bandwidth. An achromatization improvement of the DZPM coronagraph is therefore mandatory to reach such good performance. Methods. In its design, the DZPM coronagraph uses a gray (or achromatic) apodization. We replaced it by a colored apodization to increase the performance of this coronagraphic system over a wide spectral range. This innovative concept, called colored apodizer phase mask (CAPM) coronagraph, is defined to reach the highest contrast in the exoplanet search area. Once this has been done, we study the performance of the CAPM coronagraph in the presence of different errors to evaluate the sensitivity of our concept. Results. A 2.5 contrast gain is estimated from the performance provided by the CAPM coronagraph with respect to that of the DZPM coronagraph. A 2.2 × 10-8 intensity level at 5 λ0/D separation is then theoretically achieved with the CAPM coronagraph in the presence of a clear circular aperture and a 25% bandwidth. In addition, our studies show that our concept is less sensitive to low than to high-order aberrations for a given value of rms wavefront errors.
Abstract
We present the first near infrared spectrum of the faint white dwarf companion HD 114174 B, obtained with Project 1640. Our spectrum, covering the Y, J and H bands, combined with previous ...TaRgetting bENchmark-objects with Doppler Spectroscopy (TRENDS) photometry measurements, allows us to place further constraints on this companion. We suggest two possible scenarios; either this object is an old, low-mass, cool H atmosphere white dwarf with T
eff ∼ 3800 K or a high-mass white dwarf with T
eff > 6000 K, potentially with an associated cool (T
eff ∼ 700 K) brown dwarf or debris disc resulting in an infrared excess in the L
΄ band. We also provide an additional astrometry point for 2014 June 12 and use the modelled companion mass combined with the radial velocity and direct imaging data to place constraints on the orbital parameters for this companion.
This paper presents a generalization of the Roddier & Roddier Phase Mask coronagraph for polychromatic observations. It is shown that using a dual-zone phase mask, combined with complex apodization, ...both phase and size chromatism can be compensated simultaneously to produce high extinction of a point source over large bandwidths, for example the entire K band with a residual integrated starlight of $3.2\times 10^{-4}$ and a star intensity level of 10-6 at an angular separation of $3\lambda/D$. Other advantages of the proposed technique include the compatibility with centrally obscured telescopes, absence of blind axes and no symmetrization of the images.
PDF
