Aniket Sanghi, working on Alpha Cen observations with MIRI, where one planet candidate was identified, will be visiting us the week of October 13.
He will give the Exoplanet Seminar on Friday, October 17, at 11:00 am, in Bâtiment 17, Salle de Conférence 35, and also via Zoom.
Lien zoom :
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81917189200?pwd=ZAt0hsH4NqsryGjDhjSbydw7zv1fYS.1
Abstract :
The detection, characterization of, and search for biomarkers on exo-Earths in the habitable zones of their host stars is a long-standing goal in astronomy. As the closest solar-type star to the Sun, Alpha Cen A is an exceptional target for current and future direct imaging efforts. It offers a nearly 3-fold improvement in the angular scale of its habitable zone and a 7.5-fold boost in the absolute brightness of any planet compared to the next nearest solar-type star tau Ceti. Among the current generation of telescopes, JWST’s highly sensitive mid-infrared imaging capabilities uniquely allows us to complement existing radial velocity constraints and directly detect a mature gas giant exoplanet within Alpha Cen A’s habitable zone. A 46.9-hour Cycle 1 GO program using the MIRI F1550C coronagraph was executed in August 2024 and probed the 1-3 au separation space around Alpha Cen A where planets can survive the destabilizing influence of Alpha Cen B. In this talk, I will provide a comprehensive summary of the results from this program and place them in the context of our understanding of planet formation in binary systems as well as future opportunities with Roman/CGI and HWO. I will discuss the extensive preparations that were required to carry out these challenging observations, detail our approach to suppressing starlight from Alpha Cen AB in post-processing, and address the question : does our nearest Sun-like star host a planet ?
