Gaia, PLATO and WEAVE: A Powerful combination for Exoplanet Characterisation
Abstract
This presentation will describe the powerful linkages between the Gaia and PLATO missions and the potential impact of the WHT’s WEAVE multi-object spectrograph in the study of exoplanet populations.ESA’s Gaia mission commenced its nominal operations phase in July 2014. Its first data release is expected summer 2016. Over the course of its (at least) five year mission, it will discover, via their astrometric signatures, upwards of 20,000 massive Jupiter sized long period planets at distances out to several hundred parsecs around all star types. In addition Gaia will discover a significant number of short period hot Jupiters around M stars. This presentation will discuss the form and content of the first Gaia Data Release. The ESA PLATO mission, planned to launch in 2024, will photometrically observe a million host stars, and will detect, via the transit technique, planets down to Earth masses. PLATO will observe two fields of over 2,000 square degrees for 2 to 3 years each. At least one of these will be in the northern hemisphere. where WEAVE (a new multi object high resolution spectrograph currently under construction for the 4.2m William Herschel Telescope) will have the potential to provide detailed chemical characterisation of the host stars of the Gaia and PLATO exoplanet systems. This will enable insights into, for instance, metallicity of the host star correlations against both massive exoplanets (perhaps confirming current relationships), and lower mass exoplanets.We note how the rapid exploitation of such a potential WEAVE survey could be achieved, utilising the WEAVE processing systems being developed at the IoA, Cambridge, coupled with efficient interfaces to the Cambridge Gaia and PLATO data processing centres.
- Publication:
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AAS/Division for Extreme Solar Systems Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2015
- Bibcode:
- 2015ESS.....350305W