Gaia and the Astrometry of Giant Planets

TL;DR

This paper explores Gaia's potential to detect and measure exoplanetary systems through detailed simulations, emphasizing its future contributions to exoplanet science in the upcoming decade.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of Gaia's capabilities for exoplanet detection and measurement, based on simulations and performance predictions.

Findings

Gaia can detect a significant number of giant exoplanets.

The mission's astrometric precision will improve exoplanet characterization.

Gaia's discoveries will substantially advance exoplanet science in the next decade.

Abstract

Scope of this contribution is twofold. First, it describes the potential of the global astrometry mission Gaia for detecting and measuring planetary systems based on detailed double-blind mode simulations and on the most recent predictions of the satellite's astrometric payload performances (launch is foreseen for late Summer 2012). Then, the identified capabilities are put in context by highlighting the contribution that the Gaia exoplanet discoveries will be able to bring to the science of extrasolar planets of the next decade.