Search

We investigate the raw-contrast mitigation ability of the spectroscopic coronagraph. We consider a mis-modulation of the complex amplitude by the transmissive focal-plane mask that is an intrinsic problem dependent on the spectral resolving power of a grating in a spectroscopic coronagraph, stellar angular radius, and non-common path error (NCP) that is due to chromaticity in the active wavefront control (WFC) as limitation factors to the performance of the spectroscopic coronagraph. Concerning the impact of the mis-modulation and stellar angular radius under the assumption with the an achromatic WFC, we found that the spectroscopic coronagraph potentially archives the raw-contrast of 1.25 × 10−10 at the spectral resolving power R greater than or equal to 2000 at 2 λ / D with the 10 pc distant solar radius 0.93 mas. It corresponds to approximately 0.03 λ / D where the wavelength λ is 800 nm and telescope diameter D is 6 m. The inner working angle (defined as the minimal angular distance where planetary throughput is the maximal throughput) of the spectroscopic coronagraph is 2 λ / D . In addition, we found that the NCP limits the raw-contrast mitigation ability to 7.3 × 10−11 and 5.5 × 10−10 at 2 λ / D for 3% and 8% spectral bandwidths, respectively. We conclude that the spectroscopic coronagraph may serve as a promising method of broadband direct imaging of potentially habitable exoplanets located at small inner working angles with the next-generation segmented large telescopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the study of X-ray binaries has led to major breakthroughs in high-energy astrophysics, their circumbinary environment at scales of ∼100–10,000 au has not been thoroughly investigated. In this paper, we undertake a novel and exploratory study by employing direct and high-contrast imaging techniques on a sample of X-ray binaries, using adaptive optics and the vortex coronagraph on Keck/NIRC2. High-contrast imaging opens up the possibility to search for exoplanets, brown dwarfs, circumbinary companion stars, and protoplanetary disks in these extreme systems. Here we present the first near-infrared high-contrast images of 13 high-mass X-ray binaries located within ∼2–3 kpc. The key results of this campaign involve the discovery of several candidate circumbinary companions ranging from substellar (brown dwarf) to stellar masses. By conducting an analysis based on Galactic population models, we discriminate sources that are likely background/foreground stars and isolate those that have a high probability (≳60%–99%) of being gravitationally bound to the X-ray binary. This paper seeks to establish a preliminary catalog for future analyses of proper motion and subsequent observations. With our preliminary results, we calculate the first estimate of the companion frequency and the multiplicity frequency for X-ray binaries: ≈0.6 and 1.8 ± 0.9, respectively, considering only the sources that are most likely bound to the X-ray binary. In addition to extending our comprehension of how brown dwarfs and stars can form and survive in such extreme systems, our study opens a new window to our understanding of the formation of X-ray binaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Coronagraph Instrument will enable the polarimetric imaging of debris disks and inner dust belts in the optical and near-infrared wavelengths, in addition to the high-contrast polarimetric imaging and spectroscopy of exoplanets. The Coronagraph uses two Wollaston prisms to produce four orthogonally polarized images and is expected to measure the polarization fraction with measurement errors <3% per spatial resolution element. To simulate the polarization observations through the Hybrid Lyot Coronagraph (HLC) and Shaped Pupil Coronagraph (SPC), we model disk scattering, the coronagraphic point-response function, detector noise, speckles, jitter, and instrumental polarization and calculate the Stokes parameters. To illustrate the potential for discovery and a better understanding of known systems with both the HLC and SPC modes, we model the debris disks around Epsilon Eridani and HR 4796A, respectively. For Epsilon Eridani, using astrosilicates with 0.37 ± 0.01 as the peak input polarization fraction in one resolution element, we recover the peak disk polarization fraction of 0.33 ± 0.01. Similarly, for HR 4796A, for a peak input polarization fraction of 0.92 ± 0.01, we obtain the peak output polarization fraction as 0.80 ± 0.03. The Coronagraph design meets the required precision, and forward modeling is needed to accurately estimate the polarization fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observations of debris disks offer important insights into the formation and evolution of planetary systems. Though M dwarfs make up approximately 80% of nearby stars, very few M dwarf debris disks have been studied in detail—making it unclear how or if the information gleaned from studying debris disks around more massive stars extends to the more abundant M dwarf systems. We report the first scattered-light detection of the debris disk around the M4 star Fomalhaut C using JWST's Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam; 3.6 and 4.4 μ m). This result adds to the prior sample of only four M dwarf debris disks with detections in scattered light and marks the latest spectral type and oldest star among them. The size and orientation of the disk in these data are generally consistent with the prior Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array submillimeter detection. Though no companions are identified, these data provide strong constraints on their presence—with sensitivity sufficient to recover sub-Saturn mass objects in the vicinity of the disk. This result illustrates the unique capability of JWST to uncover elusive M dwarf debris disks in scattered light and lays the groundwork for deeper studies of such objects in the 2–5 μ m regime.

The proposed COronal Solar Magnetism Observatory (COSMO) Large Coronagraph (LC) will provide unique observations to study coronal mass ejections (CMEs) with its ability to diagnose the magnetic field and plasma properties in the solar corona. In this article, we take a realistic magnetohydrodynamic CME model and synthesize the signals of several coronal emission lines (CELs) to perform a forward modeling of COSMO LC observations of a CME. We use the Stokes parameters of the Fe xiii 10747 Å line to diagnose the magnetic field and plasma properties of the CME flux rope. The results show that COSMO LC can provide magnetic field measurements of CME progenitors with a high spatial resolution (pixel size = 2 ″ ). During a CME eruption, the COSMO LC observations may be used to qualitatively study the evolution of the magnetic field using a lower spatial resolution (pixel size = 6 ″ ). We then use the synthetic signals of several other CELs to diagnose the physical conditions in the CME leading front, including the shock. The COSMO LC observations of the Fe xiii 10798/10747 Å and Ni xv 8026/6703 Å line pairs could provide density diagnostics of the front. By observing several CELs with different formation temperatures, the COSMO LC could be used to diagnose the temperature and ionization states in the front. We suggest that the Fe xiii 10747 Å line should be given the highest priority when observing CMEs, while observations of the Fe xiii 10798 Å, Fe xiv 5303 Å, and Fe xv 7062 Å lines, and the Ni xv 8026/6703 Å line pair can also provide valuable information on CMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-contrast direct imaging of exoplanets can provide many important observables, including measurements of the orbit, spectra that probe the lower layers of the atmosphere, and phase variations of the planet, but cannot directly measure planet radius or mass. Our future understanding of directly imaged exoplanets will therefore rely on extrapolated models of planetary atmospheres and bulk composition, which need robust calibration. We estimate the population of extrasolar planets that could serve as calibrators for these models. Critically, this population of "standard planets" must be accessible to both direct imaging and the transit method, allowing for radius measurement. We show that the search volume of a direct imaging mission eventually overcomes the transit probability falloff with semimajor axis, so that as long as cold planets are not exceedingly rare, the population of transiting planets and directly imageable planets overlaps. Using current extrapolations of Kepler occurrence rates, we estimate that ∼8 standard planets could be characterized shortward of 800 nm with an ambitious future direct imaging mission like LUVOIR-A and several dozen could be detected at the V band. We show the design space that would expand the sample size and discuss the extent to which ground-and space-based surveys could detect this small but crucial population of planets.

Massive stars are recognized for their high degree of multiplicity, yet the mass ratio regime below 0.1 remains insufficiently explored. It is therefore unknown whether extremely low-mass (possibly substellar) companions can form and survive in the direct UV-irradiated environment of massive stars. In this paper, we discuss Very Large Telescope/Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch integral field spectrograph (0.″15–0.″85) observations of six massive O- and early B-type stars in Sco OB1 and M17 that each have a low-mass candidate companion (CC). Two targets have companions that are brown dwarf candidates. The other four have CCs in the low end of the stellar mass regime (≤0.30 M _⊙ ). For three of these, we have obtained a second epoch observation. At least two sources exhibit similar proper motion to that of their central star. However, given the expected proper motion of background objects, this does not imply certain companionship. We show how future follow-up observations of the brown dwarf CCs in the J , H , and L bands should allow for an unambiguous confirmation of their nature.

Epsilon Eridani is one of the first debris disk systems detected by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite. However, the system has thus far eluded detection in scattered light with no components having been directly imaged. Its similarity to a relatively young solar system combined with its proximity makes it an excellent candidate to further our understanding of planetary system evolution. We present a set of coronagraphic images taken using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph coronagraph on the Hubble Space Telescope at a small inner working angle to detect a predicted warm inner debris disk inside 1″. We used three different postprocessing approaches—nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF), Karhunen–Loève Image Processing (KLIP), and classical reference differential imaging, to best optimize reference star subtraction—and find that NMF performed the best overall while KLIP produced the absolute best contrast inside 1″. We present limits on scattered light from warm dust, with constraints on surface brightness at 6 mJy as ^−2 at our inner working angle of 0.″6. We also place a constraint of 0.5 mJy as ^−2 outside 1″, which gives us an upper limit on the brightness for outer disks and substellar companions. Finally, we calculated an upper limit on the dust albedo at ω < 0.487.

Recent Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of protoplanetary disks in the millimeter continuum have shown a variety of radial gaps, cavities, and spiral features. These substructures may be signposts for ongoing planet formation, and therefore these systems are promising targets for direct imaging planet searches in the near-infrared. To this end, we present results from a deep imaging survey in the $L^{\prime} $ band (3.8 μ m) with the Keck/NIRC2 vortex coronagraph to search for young planets in 43 disks with resolved features in the millimeter continuum or evidence for gaps/central cavities from their spectral energy distributions. Although we do not detect any new point sources, using the vortex coronagraph allows for high sensitivity to faint sources at small angular separations (down to ∼0.″1), allowing us to place strong upper limits on the masses of potential gas giant planets. We compare our mass sensitivities to the masses of planets derived using ALMA observations, and while we are sensitive to ∼1 M _Jup planets in the gaps in some of our systems, we are generally not sensitive to planets of the masses expected from the ALMA observations. In addition to placing upper limits on the masses of gas giant planets that could be interacting with the dust in the disks to form the observed millimeter substructures, we are also able to map the micron-sized dust as seen in scattered light for 8 of these systems. Our large sample of systems also allows us to investigate limits on planetary accretion rates and disk viscosities.

We present the first JWST/NIRCam observations of the directly imaged gas giant exoplanet β Pic b. Observations in six filters using NIRCam's round coronagraphic masks provide a high-signal-to-noise-ratio detection of β Pic b and the archetypal debris disk around β Pic over a wavelength range of ∼1.7–5 μ m. This paper focuses on the detection of β Pic b and other potential point sources in the NIRCam data, following a paper by Rebollido et al. that presented the NIRCam and MIRI view of the debris disk around β Pic. We develop and validate approaches to obtaining accurate photometry of planets in the presence of bright, complex circumstellar backgrounds. By simultaneously fitting the planet’s point-spread function and a geometric model for the disk, we obtain planet photometry that is in good agreement with previous measurements from the ground. The NIRCam data support the cloudy nature of β Pic b’s atmosphere and the discrepancy between its mass as inferred from evolutionary models and the dynamical mass reported in the literature. We further identify five additional localized sources in the data, but all of them are found to be background stars or galaxies based on their color or spatial extent. We can rule out additional planets in the disk midplane above 1 M _Jup outward of 2″ (∼40 au) and away from the disk midplane above 0.05 M _Jup outward of 4″ (∼80 au). The inner giant planet β Pic c remains undetected behind the coronagraphic masks of NIRCam in our observations.

Although the study of X-ray binaries has led to major breakthroughs in high-energy astrophysics, their circumbinary environment at scales of ∼100–10,000 au has not been thoroughly investigated. In this paper, we undertake a novel and exploratory study by employing direct and high-contrast imaging techniques on a sample of X-ray binaries, using adaptive optics and the vortex coronagraph on Keck/NIRC2. High-contrast imaging opens up the possibility to search for exoplanets, brown dwarfs, circumbinary companion stars, and protoplanetary disks in these extreme systems. Here we present the first near-infrared high-contrast images of 13 high-mass X-ray binaries located within ∼2–3 kpc. The key results of this campaign involve the discovery of several candidate circumbinary companions ranging from substellar (brown dwarf) to stellar masses. By conducting an analysis based on Galactic population models, we discriminate sources that are likely background/foreground stars and isolate those that have a high probability (≳60%–99%) of being gravitationally bound to the X-ray binary. This paper seeks to establish a preliminary catalog for future analyses of proper motion and subsequent observations. With our preliminary results, we calculate the first estimate of the companion frequency and the multiplicity frequency for X-ray binaries: ≈0.6 and 1.8 ± 0.9, respectively, considering only the sources that are most likely bound to the X-ray binary. In addition to extending our comprehension of how brown dwarfs and stars can form and survive in such extreme systems, our study opens a new window to our understanding of the formation of X-ray binaries.

Potentially habitable planets around nearby stars less massive than solar-type stars could join targets of the spectroscopy of the planetary reflected light with future space telescopes. However, the orbits of most of these planets occur near the diffraction limit for 6 m diameter telescopes. Thus, while securing contrast-mitigation ability under a broad spectral bandwidth and a finite stellar angular diameter, we must maintain planetary throughput even at the diffraction-limited angles to be able to reduce the effect of the photon noise within a reasonable observation time. A one-dimensional diffraction-limited coronagraph (1DDLC) observes planets near the diffraction limit with undistorted point spread functions but has a finite-stellar diameter problem in wideband use. This study presents a method for wide-spectral-band nulling insensitive to stellar-angular-diameter by adding a fiber nulling with a Lyot-plane phase mask to the 1DDLC. Designing the pattern of the Lyot-plane mask function focuses on the parity of the amplitude spread function of light. Our numerical simulation shows that the planetary throughput (including the fiber-coupling efficiency) can reach about 11% for about 1.35- λ / D planetary separation almost independently of the spectral bandwidth. The simulation also shows the raw contrast of about 4 × 10 ^−8 (the spectral bandwidth of 25%) and 5 × 10 ^−10 (the spectral bandwidth of 10%) for 3 × 10 ^−2 λ / D stellar angular diameter. The planetary throughput depends on the planetary azimuthal angle, which may degrade the exploration efficiency compared to an isotropic throughput but is partially offset the wide spectral band.

We present the direct-imaging discovery of a substellar companion (a massive planet or low-mass brown dwarf) to the young, γ Doradus ( γ Dor)-type variable star HIP 39017 (HD 65526). The companion’s SCExAO/CHARIS JHK (1.1–2.4 μ m) spectrum and Keck/NIRC2 $L^{\prime} $ photometry indicate that it is an L/T transition object. A comparison of the JHK + L $^{\prime} $ spectrum to several atmospheric model grids finds a significantly better fit to cloudy models than cloudless models. Orbit modeling with relative astrometry and precision stellar astrometry from Hipparcos and Gaia yields a semimajor axis of ${23.8}_{-6.1}^{+8.7}$ au, a dynamical companion mass of ${30}_{-12}^{+31}$ M _J , and a mass ratio of ∼1.9%, properties most consistent with low-mass brown dwarfs. However, its mass estimated from luminosity models is a lower ∼13.8 M _J due to an estimated young age (≲115 Myr); using a weighted posterior distribution informed by conservative mass constraints from luminosity evolutionary models yields a lower dynamical mass of ${23.6}_{-7.4}^{+9.1}$ M _J and a mass ratio of ∼1.4%. Analysis of the host star’s multifrequency γ Dor-type pulsations, astrometric monitoring of HIP 39017 b, and Gaia Data Release 4 astrometry of the star will clarify the system age and better constrain the mass and orbit of the companion. This discovery further reinforces the improved efficiency of targeted direct-imaging campaigns informed by long-baseline, precision stellar astrometry.

For the first time the evolution of the coronal reconfiguration after a coronal mass ejection (CME) was observed by the multichannel Metis Coronagraph on board the ESA–Solar Orbiter mission. The images acquired in visible light (VL) between 3.0 and 5.4 R _⊙ show the formation after a CME of a bright elongated radial feature interpreted as a post-CME current sheet (CS). The unique combination of VL and UV images allowed the time evolution of multiple plasma physical parameters inside and outside the CS region to be mapped in 2D for the first time. The CS electron temperature reached peak values higher than 1 MK, more than twice as high as the surrounding corona. An elongated vertical diffusion region, characterized as a region of much higher thermal pressure and lower magnetic pressure, is observed to slowly propagate outward during 13 hr of observations. Inside this region the Alfvénic Mach number is of the order of M _A ≃ 0.02–0.11, the plasma β is close to unity, and the level of turbulence is higher than in the surrounding corona, but decreases slowly with time. All these results provide one of the most complete pictures of these features, and support the idea of a magnetic reconnection coupled with turbulence, thus allowing significant heating of the local plasma, despite the weakness of involved coronal magnetic fields in the considered altitude range.

Directly observing exoplanets with coronagraphs is impeded by the presence of speckles from aberrations in the optical path, which can be mitigated in hardware with wave front control, as well as in post-processing. This work explores using an instrument model in post-processing to separate astrophysical signals from residual aberrations in coronagraphic data. The effect of wave front error (WFE) on the coronagraphic intensity consists of a linear contribution and a quadratic contribution. When either of the terms is much larger than the other, the instrument response can be approximated by a transfer matrix mapping WFE to detector plane intensity. From this transfer matrix, a useful projection onto instrumental modes that removes the dominant error modes can be derived. We apply this approach to synthetically generated Roman Space Telescope hybrid Lyot coronagraph data to extract “robust observables,” which can be used instead of raw data for applications such as detection testing. The projection improves planet flux ratio detection limits by about 28% in the linear regime and by over a factor of 2 in the quadratic regime, illustrating that robust observables can increase sensitivity to astrophysical signals and improve the scientific yield from coronagraphic data. While this approach does not require additional information such as observations of reference stars or modulations of a deformable mirror, it can and should be combined with these other techniques, acting as a model-informed prior in an overall post-processing strategy.

The Habitable Worlds Observatory Preliminary Input Catalog (HPIC) is a list of ∼13,000 nearby bright stars that will be potential targets for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) in its search for Earth-sized planets around Sun-like stars. We construct this target list using the TESS and Gaia DR3 catalogs and develop an automated pipeline to compile stellar measurements and derived astrophysical properties for all stars. We benchmark the stellar properties in the HPIC relative to those of the manually curated ExEP HWO Precursor Science Stars list and find that, for the 164 best targets for exo-Earth direct imaging, our stellar properties are consistent. We demonstrate the utility of the HPIC by using it as an input for yield calculations to predict the science output of various mission designs, including those with larger telescope diameters and those focused on other planet types besides Earth analogs, such as Jupiter-mass planets. The breadth and completeness of the HPIC is essential for accurate HWO mission trade studies, and it will be useful for other exoplanet studies and general astrophysics studying the population of bright nearby stars.

Based on the Heliospheric Imager-1 images of the STEREO twin spacecraft, we established the CORrelation-Aided Reconstruction (CORAR) technique to locate and reconstruct the 3D structures of solar wind transients in interplanetary space. Here, we extend the CORAR method to images of COR2 on board STEREO to study the evolution of small-scale transients in the outer corona from 2010 January to May. We confirm that the transients can be located and reconstructed well by comparing the results with those of a self-similar expanding model. The speed distribution of the reconstructed transients generally shows the typical characteristics of the slow solar wind. We further study the sources of the transients on the Sun, and find that most reconstructed transients are located near the top of streamer belts or the heliospheric current sheet and can be tracked back to the boundaries of the closed-field and open-field regions along the field lines extrapolated by corona models. The formation mechanisms of these transients in the slow solar wind are also discussed.

Metis on board Solar Orbiter is the space coronagraph developed by an Italian–German–Czech consortium. It is capable of observing solar corona and various coronal structures in the visible-light (VL) and UV (hydrogen Ly α ) channels simultaneously for the first time. Here we present observations of a large eruptive prominence on 2021 April 25–26, in the VL, taken during the mission cruise phase, and demonstrate that apart from the broadband continuum emission, which is due to the Thomson scattering on prominence electrons, we detect a significant radiation in the neutral-helium D _3 line (587.6 nm), which lies within the Metis VL passband. We show how the prominence looks like in Stokes I , Q , and U . We consider two extreme cases of the prominence magnetic field, and we separate the Stokes I and Q signals pertinent to Thomson scattering and to the D _3 line. The degree of linear polarization of the D _3 line (both Q and U ) indicates the presence of the prominence magnetic field; hence Metis can serve as a magnetograph for eruptive prominences located high in the corona.

We report observations with the JWST/NIRCam coronagraph of the Fomalhaut ( α PsA) system. This nearby A star hosts a complex debris disk system discovered by the IRAS satellite. Observations in F444W and F356W filters using the round 430R mask achieve a contrast ratio of ∼4 × 10 ^−7 at 1″ and ∼4 × 10 ^−8 outside of 3″. These observations reach a sensitivity limit of 0.7 mag (Vega) color. Whether this object is a background galaxy, brown dwarf, or a Jovian-mass planet in the Fomalhaut system will be determined by an approved Cycle 2 follow-up program. Finally, we set upper limits to any scattered light from the outer ring, placing a weak limit on the dust albedo at F356W and F444W.

Wolf 359 (CN Leo, GJ 406, Gaia DR3 3864972938605115520) is a low-mass star in the fifth-closest neighboring system (2.41 pc). Because of its relative youth and proximity, Wolf 359 offers a unique opportunity to study substellar companions around M stars using infrared high-contrast imaging and radial velocity monitoring. We present the results of Ms -band (4.67 μ m) vector vortex coronagraphic imaging using Keck-NIRC2 and add 12 Keck-HIRES and 68 MAROON-X velocities to the radial velocity baseline. Our analysis incorporates these data alongside literature radial velocities from CARMENES, the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher, and Keck-HIRES to rule out the existence of a close ( a < 10 au) stellar or brown dwarf companion and the majority of large gas giant companions. Our survey does not refute or confirm the long-period radial velocity candidate, Wolf 359 b ( P ∼ 2900 days), but rules out the candidate's existence as a large gas giant (>4 M _Jup ) assuming an age of younger than 1 Gyr. We discuss the performance of our high-contrast imaging survey to aid future observers using Keck-NIRC2 in conjunction with the vortex coronagraph in the Ms band and conclude by exploring the direct imaging capabilities with JWST to observe Jupiter- and Neptune-mass planets around Wolf 359.

Detecting Earth-like exoplanets in direct images of nearby Sun-like systems brings a unique set of challenges that must be addressed in the early phases of designing a space-based direct imaging mission. In particular, these systems may contain exozodiacal dust, which is expected to be the dominant source of astrophysical noise. Previous work has shown that it may be feasible to subtract smooth, symmetric dust from observations; however, we do not expect exozodiacal dust to be perfectly smooth. Exozodiacal dust can be trapped into mean-motion resonances with planetary bodies, producing large-scale structures that orbit in lock with the planet. This dust can obscure the planet, complicate noise estimation, or be mistaken for a planetary body. Our ability to subtract these structures from high-contrast images of Earth-like exoplanets is not well understood. In this work, we investigate exozodi mitigation for Earth–Sun-like systems with significant mean-motion resonant disk structures. We find that applying a simple high-pass filter allows us to remove structured exozodi to the Poisson noise limit for systems with inclinations

High-contrast imaging of debris disk systems permits us to assess the composition and size distribution of circumstellar dust, to probe recent dynamical histories, and to directly detect and characterize embedded exoplanets. Observations of these systems in the infrared beyond 2–3 μ m promise access to both extremely favorable planet contrasts and numerous scattered-light spectral features—but have typically been inhibited by the brightness of the sky at these wavelengths. We present coronagraphy of the AU Microscopii (AU Mic) system using JWST’s Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) in two filters spanning 3–5 μ m. These data provide the first images of the system’s famous debris disk at these wavelengths and permit additional constraints on its properties and morphology. Conducting a deep search for companions in these data, we do not identify any compelling candidates. However, with sensitivity sufficient to recover planets as small as ∼0.1 Jupiter masses beyond ∼2″ (∼20 au) with 5 σ confidence, these data place significant constraints on any massive companions that might still remain at large separations and provide additional context for the compact, multiplanet system orbiting very close-in. The observations presented here highlight NIRCam’s unique capabilities for probing similar disks in this largely unexplored wavelength range, and they provide the deepest direct imaging constraints on wide-orbit giant planets in this very well-studied benchmark system.

Planet formation imprints signatures on the physical structures of disks. In this paper, we present high-resolution (∼50 mas, 8 au) Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations of 1.3 mm dust continuum and CO line emission toward the disk around the M3.5 star 2MASS J04124068+2438157. The dust disk consists of only two narrow rings at radial distances of 0.″47 and 0.″78 (∼70 and 116 au), with Gaussian σ widths of 5.6 and 8.5 au, respectively. The width of the outer ring is smaller than the estimated pressure scale height by ∼25%, suggesting dust trapping in a radial pressure bump. The dust disk size, set by the location of the outermost ring, is significantly larger (by 3 σ ) than other disks with similar millimeter luminosity, which can be explained by an early formation of local pressure bump to stop radial drift of millimeter dust grains. After considering the disk’s physical structure and accretion properties, we prefer planet–disk interaction over dead zone or photoevaporation models to explain the observed dust disk morphology. We carry out high-contrast imaging at the $L^{\prime} $ band using Keck/NIRC2 to search for potential young planets, but do not identify any source above 5 σ . Within the dust gap between the two rings, we reach a contrast level of ∼7 mag, constraining the possible planet below ∼2–4 M _Jup . Analyses of the gap/ring properties suggest that an approximately Saturn-mass planet at ∼90 au is likely responsible for the formation of the outer ring, which can potentially be revealed with JWST.

We report new total-intensity visible-light high-contrast imaging of the TW Hya disk taken with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on the Hubble Space Telescope. This represents the first published images of the disk with STIS since 2016, when a moving shadow on the disk surface was reported. We continue to see the shadow moving in a counterclockwise fashion, but in these new images the shadow has evolved into two separate shadows, implying a change in behavior for the occulting structure. Based on radiative-transfer models of optically thick disk structures casting shadows, we infer that a plausible explanation for the change is that there are now two misaligned components of the inner disk. The first of these disks is located between 5 and 6 au with an inclination of 5.5° and position angle (PA) of 170°, and the second between 6 and 7 au with an inclination of 7° and PA of 50°. Finally, we speculate on the implications of the new shadow structure and determine that additional observations are needed to disentangle the nature of TW Hya’s inner-disk architecture.

We use observations with the infrared-optimized Magellan Adaptive Optics (MagAO) system and Clio camera in 3.9 μ m light to place stringent mass constraints on possible undetected companions to Sirius A. We suppress the light from Sirius A by imaging it through a grating vector-apodizing phase plate coronagraph with a 180° dark region (gvAPP-180). To remove residual starlight in postprocessing, we apply a time-domain principal-components-analysis-based algorithm we call PCA-Temporal, which uses eigen time series rather than eigenimages to subtract starlight. By casting the problem in terms of eigen time series, we reduce the computational cost of postprocessing the data, enabling the use of the fully sampled data set for improved contrast at small separations. We also discuss the impact of retaining fine temporal sampling of the data on final contrast limits. We achieve postprocessed contrast limits of 1.5 × 10 ^−6 –9.8 × 10 ^−6 outside of 0.″75, which correspond to planet masses of 2.6–8.0 M _J . These are combined with values from the recent literature of high-contrast imaging observations of Sirius to synthesize an overall completeness fraction as a function of mass and separation. After synthesizing these recent studies and our results, the final completeness analysis rules out 99% of ≥9 M _J planets from 2.5 to 7 au.

With a Jupiter-like exoplanet and a debris disk with both asteroid and Kuiper Belt analogs, ϵ Eridani has a fascinating resemblance to our expectations for a young solar system. We present a deep Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph coronographic data set using eight orbit visits and the point-spread function calibrator δ Eridani. While we were unable to detect the debris disk, we place stringent constraints on the scattered light surface brightness of $\sim 4\,\mu \mathrm{Jy}\,{\mathrm{arcsec}}^{-2}.$ We combine this scattered light detection limit with a reanalysis of archival near- and mid-infrared observations and a dynamical model of the full planetary system to refine our model of the ϵ Eridani debris disk components. Radiative transfer modeling suggests an asteroid belt analog inside of 3 au, an intermediate disk component in the 6–37 au region, and a Kuiper Belt analog colocated with the narrow belt observed in the millimeter (69 au). Modeling also suggests a large minimum grain size requiring either very porous grains or a suppression of small grain production, and a radially stratified particle size distribution. The inner disk regions require a steep power-law slope ( s ^−3.8 where s is the grain size) weighted toward smaller grains and the outer disk prefers a shallower slope ( s ^−3.4 ) with a minimum particle size of >2 μ m. These conclusions will be enhanced by upcoming coronagraphic observations of the system with the James Webb Space Telescope, which will pinpoint the radial location of the dust belts and further diagnose the dust particle properties.

We introduce a new framework for point-spread function subtraction based on the spatiotemporal variation of speckle noise in high-contrast imaging data where the sampling timescale is faster than the speckle evolution timescale. One way that space–time covariance arises in the pupil is as atmospheric layers translate across the telescope aperture and create small, time-varying perturbations in the phase of the incoming wavefront. The propagation of this field to the focal plane preserves some of that space–time covariance. To utilize this covariance, our new approach uses a Karhunen–Loève transform on an image sequence, as opposed to a set of single reference images as in previous applications of Karhunen–Loève Image Processing (KLIP) for high-contrast imaging. With the recent development of photon-counting detectors, such as microwave kinetic inductance detectors, this technique now has the potential to improve contrast when used as a post-processing step. Preliminary testing on simulated data shows this technique can improve contrast by at least 10%–20% from the original image, with significant potential for further improvement. For certain choices of parameters, this algorithm may provide larger contrast gains than spatial-only KLIP.

Evidence for the presence of ion cyclotron waves (ICWs), driven by turbulence, at the boundaries of the current sheet is reported in this paper. By exploiting the full potential of the joint observations performed by Parker Solar Probe and the Metis coronagraph on board Solar Orbiter, local measurements of the solar wind can be linked with the large-scale structures of the solar corona. The results suggest that the dynamics of the current sheet layers generates turbulence, which in turn creates a sufficiently strong temperature anisotropy to make the solar-wind plasma unstable to anisotropy-driven instabilities such as the Alfvén ion cyclotron, mirror-mode, and firehose instabilities. The study of the polarization state of high-frequency magnetic fluctuations reveals that ICWs are indeed present along the current sheet, thus linking the magnetic topology of the remotely imaged coronal source regions with the wave bursts observed in situ. The present results may allow improvement of state-of-the-art models based on the ion cyclotron mechanism, providing new insights into the processes involved in coronal heating.

We observed HD 19467 B with JWST’s NIRCam in six filters spanning 2.5–4.6 μ m with the long-wavelength bar coronagraph. The brown dwarf HD 19467 B was initially identified through a long-period trend in the radial velocity of the G3V star HD 19467. HD 19467 B was subsequently detected via coronagraphic imaging and spectroscopy, and characterized as a late-T type brown dwarf with an approximate temperature ∼1000 K. We observed HD 19467 B as a part of the NIRCam GTO science program, demonstrating the first use of the NIRCam Long Wavelength Bar coronagraphic mask. The object was detected in all six filters (contrast levels of 2 × 10 ^−4 to 2 × 10 ^−5 ) at a separation of 1.″6 using angular differential imaging and synthetic reference differential imaging. Due to a guide star failure during the acquisition of a preselected reference star, no reference star data were available for post-processing. However, reference differential imaging was successfully applied using synthetic point-spread functions developed from contemporaneous maps of the telescope’s optical configuration. Additional radial velocity data (from Keck/HIRES) are used to constrain the orbit of HD 19467 B. Photometric data from TESS are used to constrain the properties of the host star, particularly its age. NIRCam photometry, spectra, and photometry from the literature, and improved stellar parameters are used in conjunction with recent spectral and evolutionary substellar models to derive the physical properties of HD 19467 B. Using an age of 9.4 ± 0.9 Gyr inferred from spectroscopy, Gaia astrometry, and TESS asteroseismology, we obtain a model-derived mass of 62 ± 1 M _J , which is consistent within 2 σ with the dynamically derived mass of ${81}_{-12}^{+14}$ M _J .

A 10-cm aperture telescope equipped with coronagraphic capabilities, using occulting masks of various size and material, has been developed to obtain low-light-level, wide-angle (~7o FOV), narrow-band filtered images of sodium exospheres at Io, the Moon and Mercury. Here we describe new instrument capabilities and recent findings about the extraordinarily long tails of sodium gas discovered in the lunar and hermean exospheres. Spatial and temporal variability patterns captured in such images can be used to study changes in surface sputtering processes and radiation pressure acceleration effects in the inner solar system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]