Characterizing the Coolest Atmospheres: Exoplanets to Brown Dwarfs
Abstract
We present the results of two complementary programs characterizing planetary temperature sub-stellar targets. The first project is a near-infrared surveys monitoring 74 L, T and Y brown dwarfs for variability. With the discovery of Y dwarfs by the WISE mission, the population of field brown dwarfs now extends to objects with temperatures comparable to those of Solar System planets. To investigate the atmospheres of these ultracool brown dwarfs with temperatures covering the range of transiting and directly imaged planets, we conducted a large near-infrared photometric monitoring campaign in the J-band using both the SOFI camera on the 3.5 NTT and the SWIRC camera on the 6.5-m MMT. Breakup of the iron and silicate clouds into a patchy cloud layer has been suggested as an explanation of several large variables identified at the L/T transition, and a similar process with sulfide and salt clouds may be manifest in T/Y transition objects. We detected a total of 16 variable targets in the sample with 11 of these being new previously unknown variables. The second project is designed to characterize the planetary system HR8799 in the near infrared water bands obscured by the Earths atmosphere with the Hubble Space Telescope. These dataset will provide invaluable in the generation of new atmospheric models of brown dwarfs and directly detected exoplanets.
- Publication:
-
Search for Life Beyond the Solar System. Exoplanets, Biosignatures & Instruments
- Pub Date:
- March 2014
- Bibcode:
- 2014ebi..confP4.80R