Report - School of Physics
Report - School of Physics
Report - School of Physics
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Microlensing: Microlensing was identified as a method which is in principle able<br />
to detect Earth-mass planets. Since searches for Jovian planets were already in the<br />
development phase in 1997 the Working Group suggested that ESO should focus<br />
on detecting Earth-mass planets. They suggested that a dedicated 2.5 m telescope<br />
should monitor the bulge with a large (1 ◦ ) field detector (16k by 16k CCD) during<br />
a 120 night season. It would observe a few million uncrowded stars achieving 1 %<br />
photometric accuracy reaching V = 20 in a 4-minute exposure. A high sampling<br />
rate is crucial to obtain the characteristic <strong>of</strong> the short (5 hr) planet event on the<br />
microlensing light curve. No specific time frame was given but the Working Group<br />
called for an aggressive ESO-based campaign.<br />
When VST/OmegaCam becomes operational in 2006, the technical capabilities for<br />
the above programme will be available. Microlensing searches for Earth-mass planets,<br />
though, are not part <strong>of</strong> the major science goals for VST/OmegaCam.<br />
Direct Detection: Direct detection was considered essential for deriving many<br />
physical properties <strong>of</strong> extra-solar plants such as size, temperature, chemical composition<br />
etc. The Working Group stressed that it would be extremely challening<br />
to achieve the required contrast levels in particular from the ground. They identified<br />
a very powerful adaptive optics system as a key ingredient in combination with<br />
coronographic instrumentation and sophisticated data processing. They pointed<br />
out that spectroscopic signatures <strong>of</strong> planetary atmospheres should be detectable<br />
with high-resolution spectroscopy in the NIR (CRIRES) via their time-dependent<br />
Doppler shift. Other spectral features will be unique to the planet and therefore<br />
appear as ‘alien’ features in the stellar spectrum. They called for further studies <strong>of</strong><br />
instrumental requirements, and an early realization <strong>of</strong> an instrument like CRIRES.<br />
Transits and Timing Eclipses: The Working Group noted the potential <strong>of</strong> this<br />
method for detecting planets down to Uranus size, along with planets with rings<br />
and moons <strong>of</strong> giant planets. They mention the possibility <strong>of</strong> obtaining spectra <strong>of</strong><br />
planets’ atmospheres during transits. They also noted that timing <strong>of</strong> eclipses in<br />
binary stars was a simple method for detecting giant planets in these systems.<br />
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