A Deep Search for Transiting Extrasolar Planets
Abstract
We propose to continue our deep search for transiting close-in extrasolar planets using the MOSAIC II wide-field imager on the CTIO 4m telescope. We will take repeated short I-band exposures during 9 nights (4 Chilean time and 5 USA time) of a single well-chosen field with ~100,000 stars with I≲18.2. Relative photometry accurate to 0.2-1% rms will yield light curves which will allow the identification of transiting planets. We have already analysed the best 37,000 lightcurves (0.2%-1% rms) and found several planet candidates. However, due to bad weather and seeing, we effectively had only 5-6 good nights out of 11, and two nights were completely lost. The reduced time coverage resulted in a loss of 3.5 times of planet-detection efficiency. We are requesting additional time to compensate for this loss. Note that the proposed observations - to be conducted a year after the first run - will allow us to obtain a very accurate period and phase measurement for those planet candidates for which we already have 2 transits detected, since we will have a large time baseline equivalent to ~100 orbits of the planet. A detection of a second transit in a light-curve with currently only one transit will result in new planet candidates. Finally, there will be new candidates for which 2 transits will be visible in the second run.
- Publication:
-
NOAO Proposal
- Pub Date:
- February 2002
- Bibcode:
- 2002noao.prop..336S