A Pathfinder Instrument for Precision Radial Velocities in the Near-Infrared

Ramsey, Lawrence W.; Barnes, John; Redman, Stephen L.; Jones, H. R. A.; Wolszczan, A.; Bongiorno, Stephen D.; Engel, L.; Jenkins, James S.

doi:10.1086/591233

Cited by 53 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The need to have an acceptable signal on most lines leads to the strongest lines saturating and bleeding into the adjacent stellar spectrum, making reduction more complex. The relative lack of sufficient Th lines in the NIR has also been noted by Ramsey et al (2008) in their laboratory tests with PRVS Pathfinder and these authors propose combining light from multiple lamps (most notable Ur-Ar) with Th-Ar to increase the line density available for wavelength calibration.…”

Section: Calibration In the Nirmentioning

confidence: 85%

The Use of Absorption Cells as a Wavelength Reference for Precision Radial Velocity Measurements in the Near-Infrared

Mahadevan

2009

ApJ

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Considerable interest is now focused on the detection of terrestrial mass planets around M dwarfs, and radial velocity surveys with high-resolution spectrographs in the near-infrared (NIR) are expected to be able to discover such planets. We explore the possibility of using commercially available molecular absorption gas cells as a wavelength reference standard for high-resolution fiber-fed spectrographs in the NIR. We consider the relative merits and disadvantages of using such cells compared with thorium-argon emission lamps and conclude that in the astronomical H band, they are a viable method of simultaneous calibration, yielding an acceptable wavelength calibration error for most applications. Four well-characterized and commercially available standard gas cells of H 13 C 14 N, 12 C 2 H 2 , 12 CO, and 13 CO can together span over 120 nm of the H band, making them suitable for use in astronomical spectrographs. The use of isotopologues of these molecules can increase line densities and wavelength coverage, extending their application to different wavelength regions.

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Section: Calibration In the Nirmentioning

confidence: 85%

The Use of Absorption Cells as a Wavelength Reference for Precision Radial Velocity Measurements in the Near-Infrared

Mahadevan

2009

ApJ

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“…A new generation of high-resolution near-infrared spectrographs capable of extending accurate Doppler measurements from the optical into the near-infrared (NIR) domain is currently under study [6][7][8]. To detect rocky planets in the habitable region around M dwarfs, the required RV precision is about 1 m/s, whereas it will take a precision of 10 cm/s to reach a similar science goal around G-type stars ( Figure 1) since the gravitational pull of such planets is smaller around solar-type stars.…”

Section: Epj Web Of Conferencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

High precision radial velocities in the near-infrared domain: Status and prospects

Martín

Guenther

Burgo

et al. 2011

EPJ Web of Conferences

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Abstract. The extension of the highly successful Doppler technique into the near-infrared (0.9-2.5 m) is highly desirable as it would open the possibility for searches for extra-solar planets around young stars, very low-mass stars and brown dwarfs. Here we review the current status of this technique and discuss future prospects with particular emphasis on challenging problems for the next decade. BACKGROUNDIn less than two decades, more than 700 exoplanets, brown dwarfs (BDs) and planetary mass objects (3-13 Jupiter mass free floating objects) have been identified. In addition, we have witnessed a revolution in the field of debris disks studies with the completion of extended surveys that have identified about 300 stars that harbor debris dust, shedding light into the frequency of planetesimal formation (the building blocks of planets) and the characterization of extra-solar planetesimal belts. Although a very interesting picture of this rich "zoology" is emerging, several important questions remain to be answered, such as for example: What is the diversity of planetary systems, including long period planets (beyond the reach of radial velocity (RV) and transit surveys) and exotic systems? What is their dynamical evolution? What are the properties of exoplanets (orbits, masses and atmospheric properties)? What are the frequencies and properties of planetesimal belts and what are the implications for the frequency of terrestrial planet formation, for the habitability of the planetary system and for water delivery into the terrestrial planet region? How common are Earth-like planets?This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License 3.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any noncommercial medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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“…Only radial velocity on sun-like (G-class dwarf) stars is considered here. While radial velocity in the infrared part of the spectrum at 1 m/s accuracy has been proposed in order to detect Earth-mass planets around M-dwarfs later than M4V, current accuracies in the near-IR are only 7-10 m/s [18]. Late M-dwarf searches for Earth-mass planets do not directly address the question of replacing SIMLite with radial velocity, since the spaceborne astrometric program is planned to concentrate on Sun-like stars.…”

Section: Astrometry From Space Versus Radial Velocity From the Groundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Future prospects for the detection and characterization of extrasolar planets

Lunine

2010

EPJ Web of Conferences

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Abstract. Several distinctly different techniques have detected almost 500 planets orbiting around main-sequence stars, 45 multiple planet systems, and a number of extrasolar planets have been the subject of direct study. Hundreds of other "candidate" planets detected by the Kepler spacecraft await confirmation of their existence. Planets are thus common phenomena around stars, and the prospects seem good in the next few years for establishing statistics on the occurrence of Earth-sized planets. Extension of the most successful technique of Doppler spectroscopy in sensitivity to detect Earth-mass planets around Sun-like stars will be limited by the noise generated by the stellar photospheres themselves. The James Webb Space Telescope will have the capability to measure atmospheric abundances of certain gases and of liquid water on extrasolar planets, including "superEarths" within a factor of two of the radius of the Earth. The ultimate goal of measuring the atmospheric composition of an Earth-sized planet orbiting at 1 AU around a star like the Sun remains a daunting challenge that is perhaps twenty years in the future.

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A Pathfinder Instrument for Precision Radial Velocities in the Near-Infrared

Cited by 53 publications

References 23 publications

The Use of Absorption Cells as a Wavelength Reference for Precision Radial Velocity Measurements in the Near-Infrared

The Use of Absorption Cells as a Wavelength Reference for Precision Radial Velocity Measurements in the Near-Infrared

High precision radial velocities in the near-infrared domain: Status and prospects

Future prospects for the detection and characterization of extrasolar planets

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