Measuring Potential Exoplanet and Brown Dwarf Host K Giant Stars
Abstract
We plan to measure the angular diameters of ten K giant stars in order to directly determine their physical radii and effective temperatures. These targets are of special interest because their radial velocity curves hint at the presence of exoplanet or brown dwarf companions. Our measurements here will be the crucial first step on the way to obtaining these single stars' masses directly, once the planned stellar oscillation observations are obtained by Co-Is Michaela Dollinger and Marie Hrudkovu. The combination of radii and masses will help to better calibrate stellar evolutionary models by direct mass determinations and significantly reducing the errors on radii estimates using other techniques.
- Publication:
-
NOAO Proposal
- Pub Date:
- February 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013noao.prop..178B