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| Paper: |
Ultra-high Photometric Precision and the Search for Extrasolar Planets |
| Volume: |
294, Scientific Frontiers in Research on Extrasolar Planets |
| Page: |
395 |
| Authors: |
McGruder, C. H.; Everett, M. E.; Howell, S. B.; Gelderman, R. G. |
| Abstract: |
Employing the transit method and the technique of ensemble differential photometry with the newly refurbished 1.3 m telescope on Kitt Peak we will search dense stellar fields to detect extrasolar planets. For a single exposure of a few minutes we will achieve a photometric precision of about 500 micro-magnitudes for the brighter stars (V,R about 12) and about 10 milli-magnitude precision for the fainter stars (V,R about 19). This level of precision will allow us to detect jupiter-sized planets for all stars imaged, but also neptune-sized planets transiting the brighter stars. Our approach enables the detection of extrasolar planets around faint, distant stars (d < approximately 1 kpc). Thus, we will be able to provide statistics on the distribution of jupiter-sized planets outside the solar neighborhood over a wide range of metallicity and age, which is currently unaccessible to spectroscopic radial velocity studies and also to wide-field imaging telescopes. |
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