Speckle Imaging Excludes Low-mass Companions Orbiting the Exoplanet Host Star TRAPPIST-1
Abstract
We have obtained the highest-resolution images available of TRAPPIST-1 using the Gemini-South telescope and our speckle imaging camera. Observing at 692 and 883 nm, we reached the diffraction limit of the telescope providing a best resolution of 27 mas or, at the distance of TRAPPIST-1, a spatial resolution of 0.32 au. Our imaging of the star extends from 0.32 to 14.5 au. We show that to a high confidence level, we can exclude all possible stellar and brown dwarf companions, indicating that TRAPPIST-1 is a single star.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- September 2016
- DOI:
- 10.3847/2041-8205/829/1/L2
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1610.05269
- Bibcode:
- 2016ApJ...829L...2H
- Keywords:
-
- stars: imaging;
- stars: individual: TRAPPIST-1;
- 2MASS J23062928-0502285;
- Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics;
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- Accepted in ApJ Letters, 13 Sept. 2016 issue