The mid-infrared properties of pre-planetary disks are sensitive to the temperature and flaring profiles of disks for the regions where planet formation is expected to occur. In order to constrain theories of planet formation, we have carried out a mid-infrared (wavelength 10.7 microns) size survey of young stellar objects using the segmented Keck telescope in a novel configuration. We introduced a customized pattern of tilts to individual mirror segments to allow efficient sparse-aperture interferometry, allowing full aperture synthesis imaging with higher calibration precision than traditional imaging. In contrast to previous surveys on smaller telescopes and with poorer calibration precision, we find most objects in our sample are partially resolved. Here we present the main observational results of our survey of 5 embedded massive protostars, 25 Herbig Ae/Be stars, 3 T Tauri stars, 1 FU Ori system, and 5 emission-line objects of uncertain classification. The observed mid-infrared sizes do not obey the size-luminosity relation found at near-infrared wavelengths and a companion paper will provide further modelling analysis of this sample. In addition, we report imaging results for a few of the most resolved objects, including complex emission around embedded massive protostars, the photoevaporating circumbinary disk around MWC 361A, and the subarcsecond binaries T Tau, FU Ori and MWC 1080.
We report on high contrast mid-infrared observations of Fomalhaut obtained with the Keck Interferometer Nuller (KIN) showing a small resolved excess over the level expected from the stellar photosphere. The measured null excess has a mean value of 0.35% +/- 0.10% between 8 and 11 microns and increases from 8 to 13 microns. Given the small field of view of the instrument, the source of this marginal excess must be contained within 2AU of Fomalhaut. This result is reminiscent of previous VLTI K-band observations, which implied the presence of a ~ 0.88% excess, and argued that thermal emission fr…
We present near and mid-infrared interferometric observations made with the Keck Interferometer Nuller and near-contemporaneous spectro-photometry from the IRTF of 11 well known young stellar objects, several observed for the first time in these spectral and spatial resolution regimes. With AU-level spatial resolution, we first establish characteristic sizes of the infrared emission using a simple geometrical model consisting of a hot inner rim and mid-infrared disk emission. We find a high degree of correlation between the stellar luminosity and the mid-infrared disk sizes after using near-in…
We present observations of the 51 Ophiuchi circumstellar disk made with the Keck interferometer operating in nulling mode at N-band. We model these data simultaneously with VLTI-MIDI visibility data and a Spitzer IRS spectrum using a variety of optically-thin dust cloud models and an edge-on optically-thick disk model. We find that single-component optically-thin disk models and optically-thick disk models are inadequate to reproduce the observations, but an optically-thin two-component disk model can reproduce all of the major spectral and interferometric features. Our preferred disk model co…
We present a high-precision infrared radial velocity study of late-type stars using spectra obtained with NIRSPEC at the W. M. Keck Observatory. Radial velocity precisions of 50 m/s are achieved for old field mid-M dwarfs using telluric features for precise wavelength calibration. Using this technique, 20 young stars in the β Pic (age ~12 Myr) and TW Hya (age ~8 Myr) Associations were monitored over several years to search for low mass companions; we also included the chromospherically active field star GJ 873 (EV Lac) in this survey. Based on comparisons with previous optical observations of …
Using Keck/NIRC2 $L^\prime$ (3.78 $μm$) data, we report the direct imaging discovery of a scattered light-resolved, solar system-scale residual protoplanetary disk around the young A-type star HD 141569A, interior to and concentric with the two ring-like structures at wider separations. The disk is resolved down to $\sim$ 0\farcs{}25 and appears as an arc-like rim with attached hook-like features. It is located at an angular separation intermediate between that of warm CO gas identified from spatially-resolved mid-infrared spectroscopy and diffuse dust emission recently discovered with the \te…
Pre-transitional disks are protoplanetary disks with a gapped disk structure, potentially indicating the presence of young planets in these systems. In order to explore the structure of these objects and their gap-opening mechanism, we observed the pre-transitional disk V1247 Orionis using the Very Large Telescope Interferometer, the Keck Interferometer, Keck-II, Gemini South, and IRTF. This allows us spatially resolve the AU-scale disk structure from near- to mid-infrared wavelengths (1.5 to 13 μm), tracing material at different temperatures and over a wide range of stellocentric radii. Our o…
The Subaru telescope is currently performing a strategic program (SSP) using the high-precision near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer IRD to search for exoplanets around nearby mid/late-M~dwarfs via radial velocity (RV) monitoring. As part of the observing strategy for the exoplanet survey, signatures of massive companions such as RV trends are used to reduce the priority of those stars. However, this RV information remains useful for studying the stellar multiplicity of nearby M~dwarfs. To search for companions around such ``deprioritized" M~dwarfs, we observed 14 IRD-SSP targets using Keck/NIRC2 …
Direct imaging of brown dwarfs as companions to solar-type stars can provide a wealth of well-constrained data to "benchmark" the physics of such objects, since quantities like metallicity and age can be determined from their well-studied primaries. We present results from an adaptive optics imaging program on stars drawn from the Anglo-Australian and Keck Planet Search projects, with the aim of directly imaging known cool companions. Simulations have modeled the expected contrast ratios and separations of known companions using estimates of orbital parameters available from current radial-vel…
We present high-resolution ($0\farcs2$) near-infrared images of the area surrounding the Herbig Be star LkH$α$ 234 taken with the Coronagraphic Imager with Adaptive Optics (CIAO) and the adaptive optics on the Subaru Telescope. The near-infrared ($J$, $H$, $K$, $L'$ and $M'$ bands) images reveal circumstellar structures around LkH$α$ 234 in detail. Eight young stellar object (YSO) candidates (Object B, C, D, E, F, G, NW1, and NW2) were detected at 2$\arcsec$--11$\arcsec$ from LkH$α$ 234. Objects B and C are likely variable stars, which is consistent with a young evolutionary status. Three obje…
We present new observations of the faint "Sirius-like" companion discovered to orbit HD 114174. Previous attempts to image HD 114174 B at mid-infrared wavelengths using NIRC2 at Keck have resulted in a non-detection. Our new L'-band observations taken with the Large Binocular Telescope and LMIRCam recover the companion ($ΔL$ = 10.15 $\pm$ 0.15 mag, $ρ$ = 0.675'' $\pm$ 0.016'') with a high signal-to-noise ratio (10 $σ$). This measurement represents the deepest L' high-contrast imaging detection at sub-arcsecond separations to date, including extrasolar planets. We confirm that HD 114174 B has n…
We present the results of a transcontinental campaign to observe the 2009 June 5 transit of the exoplanet HD 80606b. We report the first detection of the transit ingress, revealing the transit duration to be 11.64 +/- 0.25 hr and allowing more robust determinations of the system parameters. Keck spectra obtained at midtransit exhibit an anomalous blueshift, giving definitive evidence that the stellar spin axis and planetary orbital axis are misaligned. The Keck data show that the projected spin-orbit angle is between 32-87 deg with 68.3% confidence and between 14-142 deg with 99.73% confidence…
We present an analysis of Spitzer-IRS observations of H2O, OH, HCN, C2H2, and CO2 emission, and Keck-NIRSPEC observations of CO emission, from a diverse sample of T Tauri and Herbig Ae/Be circumstellar disks. We find that detections and strengths of most mid-IR molecular emission features are correlated with each other, suggesting a common origin and similar excitation conditions. We note that the line detection efficiency is anti-correlated with the 13/30 um SED spectral slope, which is a measure of the degree of grain settling in the disk atmosphere. We also note a correlation between detect…
We present new Keck/NIRC2 3$-$5 $μ$m infrared photometry of the planetary-mass companion to ROXS 42B in $L^\prime$, and for the first time in Brackett-$α$ (Br$α$) and in $M_\mathrm{s}$-band. We combine our data with existing near-infrared photometry and $K$-band (2$-$2.4 $μ$m) spectroscopy and compare these with models and other directly imaged planetary-mass objects using forward modeling and retrieval methods in order to characterize the atmosphere of ROXS 42B b. ROXS 42B b's 1.25$-$5 $μ$m spectral energy distribution most closely resembles that of GSC 06214 B and $κ$ And b, although it has …
We present a new model atmosphere analysis of the most metal contaminated white dwarf known, the DBZ SDSS J073842.56+183509.06. Using new high resolution spectroscopic observations taken with Keck and Magellan, we determine precise atmospheric parameters and measure abundances of 14 elements heavier than helium. We also report new Spitzer mid-infrared photometric data that are used to better constrain the properties of the debris disk orbiting this star. Our detailed analysis, which combines data taken from 7 different observational facilities (GALEX, Gemini, Keck, Magellan, MMT, SDSS and Spit…
Direct Imaging Explorations for Companions from the Subaru/IRD Strategic Program II; Discovery of a Brown-dwarf Companion around a Nearby mid-M~dwarf LSPM~J1446+4633
Multi-Wavelength Identification of a Luminous Mid-Infrared Supernova Powered by Circumstellar Interaction with Binary-Driven Pre-supernova Mass Loss
Columbia University（哥伦比亚大学）；Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute（西蒙斯基础研究所计算天体物理中心）；California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院）；The Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science（卡内基科学机构天文台）
High angular resolution observations of young stellar objects are required to study the inner astronomical units of protoplanetary disks in which the majority of planets form. As they evolve, gaps open up in the inner disk regions and the disks are fully dispersed within ~10 Myrs. MWC 614 is a pre-transitional object with a ~10au radius gap. We present a set of high angular resolution observations of this object including SPHERE/ZIMPOL polarimetric and coronagraphic images in the visible, KECK/NIRC2 near-infrared aperture masking observations and VLTI (AMBER, MIDI, and PIONIER) and CHARA (CLAS…
Infrared excesses due to dusty disks have been observed orbiting white dwarfs with effective temperatures between 7200 K and 25000 K, suggesting that the rate of tidal disruption of minor bodies massive enough to create a coherent disk declines sharply beyond 1~Gyr after white dwarf formation. We report the discovery that the candidate white dwarf LSPM J0207+3331, via the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 citizen science project and Keck Observatory follow-up spectroscopy, is hydrogen-dominated with a luminous compact disk (L$_{\rm IR}$/L$_{\star}$=14%) and an effective temperature nearly 1000K cooler…
The MIRI Excess around Degenerates (MEAD) Survey II: A Probable Planet detected via IR Excess around WD 0644+025
University of Oklahoma（俄克拉荷马大学）；Space Telescope Science Institute（太空望远镜科学研究所）；Smith College（史密斯学院）；Université de Montréal（蒙特利尔大学）；University of California San Diego（加利福尼亚大学圣地亚哥分校）；Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory（史密森尼天体物理台）；Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge（剑桥大学天文研究所）；Wesleyan University（卫斯理安大学）
