This licentiate thesis provides a broad introduction into the methodology of detecting and characterising exoplanets, with the main focus on the method of high-contrast imaging (HCI). Developments in theoretical knowledge as well as instrumentation have, in the past decade, pushed the boundaries of what HCI can achieve, both in terms of detection sensitivity and constraining planet properties. Direct imaging surveys in the near infrared (NIR) and longward wavelengths have proven particularly useful in detecting younger giant planets at wide orbital separations. The scientific work presented as part of this thesis is one such result of an imaging pursuit of the young giant planet, ϵ Ind Ab, which has long eluded NIR imaging surveys in the past, yet revealing its existence via radial velocity trends and astrometry of the parent star. It resides in the very interesting ϵ Ind stellar system, revolving around the primary star ϵ Ind A which is a Sun-like star only ∼12 light years away and visible in the night sky to the naked eye. With the combination of imaging data from two mid infrared (MIR) instruments, advanced post-processing techniques as well as comparative analysis using different planet atmospheric models, this work was able to place tight constraints on the age of the system and mass of the planet, although no detection was achieved. The new constraints set a firm foundation for MIR imaging surveys for the planet in future, especially with the upcoming more sensitive, advanced instruments in the later half of the decade. MIR imaging surveys have gained increasing significance in the recent years, due to their ability to detect colder/ smaller planets. It plays an important role in covering the missing gaps in the planet parameter space, ultimately aiding in improving our knowledge on planet formation and evolution.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:su-204436 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Viswanath, Gayathri |
| Publisher | Stockholms universitet, Institutionen för astronomi |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Licentiate thesis, monograph, info:eu-repo/semantics/masterThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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