Near-Infrared Monitoring of Ultracool Dwarfs: Prospects for Searching for Transiting Companions

2008/06/17 by Cullen H. Blake, Joshua S. Bloom, J. S. Bloom +8 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrobiology #Astronomy #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Circumstellar habitable zone #Exoplanet #Photometry (optics) #Physics #Planet #Stars #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #Telescope #Terrestrial planet #astro-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/590506

22 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in PASP

arxiv created 2008/06/17 · openalex publication_date 2008/07/16 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

Stars of late-M and L spectral types, collectively known as ultracool dwarfs (UCDs), may be excellent targets for searches for extrasolar planets. Owing to their small radii, the signal from an Earth-size planet transiting a UCD is, in principle, readily detectable. We present results from a study designed to evaluate the feasibility of using precise near-infrared (NIR) photometry to detect terrestrial extrasolar planets orbiting UCDs. We used the Peters Automated Infrared Imaging Telescope (PAIRITEL) to observe a sample of 13 UCDs over a period of 10 months. We consider several important systematic effects in NIR differential photometry and develop techniques for generating photometry with a precision of 0.01 mag and long-term stability. We simulate the planet detection efficiency of an extended campaign to monitor a large sample of UCDs with PAIRITEL. We find that both a targeted campaign with a single telescope lasting several years and a campaign making use of a network of telescopes distributed in longitude could provide significant sensitivity to terrestrial planets orbiting UCDs, potentially in the habitable zone.

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Cited by

• A SEARCH FOR PHOTOMETRIC VARIABILITY IN L- AND T-TYPE BROWN DWARF ATMOSPHERES

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• Three Thousand Motion-Confirmed L and T Dwarf Candidates from the Backyard Worlds:~Planet 9 Citizen Science Project