2006/04/07 by Robert A. Wittenmyer, Michael Endl, William D. Cochran +4 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #History and Developments in Astronomy #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/504942
published as Astron.J.132:177-188,2006 · 21 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in AJ
arxiv created 2006/04/07 · openalex publication_date 2006/06/02 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Based on the long-term radial velocity surveys carried out with the McDonald Observatory 2.7 m Harlan J. Smith Telescope from 1988 to the present, we derive upper limits to long-period giant planet companions for 31 nearby stars. Data from three phases of the McDonald Observatory 2.7 m planet-search program have been merged together, and for 17 objects data from the pioneering Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope radial velocity program have also been included in the companion-limits determination. For those 17 objects, the baseline of observations is in excess of 23 yr, enabling the detection or exclusion of giant planets in orbits beyond 8 AU. We also consider the possibility of eccentric orbits in our computations. At an orbital separation of 5.2 AU, we can exclude on average planets of M sin i ≳ M J ( e = 0) and M sin i ≳ M J ( e = 0.6) for 25 of the 31 stars in this survey. However, we are not yet able to rule out "true Jupiters," i.e., planets of M sin i ∼ 1 M J in 5.2 AU orbits. These limits are of interest for the Space Interferometry Mission , Terrestrial Planet Finder , and Darwin missions, which will search for terrestrial planets orbiting nearby stars, many of which are included in this work.