A 100-Night Exoplanet Imaging Survey at the LBT
Abstract
In February 2013, the LEECH (LBTI Exozodi Exoplanet Common Hunt) survey began its 100-night campaign from the Large Binocular Telescope atop Mount Graham in Arizona. LEECH neatly complements other high-contrast planet imaging efforts by observing stars in L' band (3.8 microns) as opposed to the shorter wavelength near-infrared bands (1-2.3 microns). This part of the spectrum offers deeper mass sensitivity for intermediate age (several hundred Myr-old) systems, since their Jovian-mass planets radiate predominantly in the mid-infrared. We present the science goals for LEECH and a preliminary contrast curve from some early data.
- Publication:
-
Protostars and Planets VI Posters
- Pub Date:
- July 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013prpl.conf2K006Z
- Keywords:
-
- exoplanets;
- high-contrast imaging;
- direct imaging;
- adaptive optics