The Gemini NICI Planet-Finding Campaign
Michael C. Liu, Zahed Wahhaj, Beth A. Biller, Eric L. Nielsen, Mark, Chun, Laird M. Close, Christ Ftaclas, Markus Hartung, Thomas L. Hayward,, Fraser Clarke, I. Neill Reid, Evgenya L. Shkolnik, Matthias Tecza, Niranjan, Thatte, Silvia Alencar, Pawel Artymowicz, Alan Boss

TL;DR
The Gemini NICI Planet-Finding Campaign is a large-scale, high-contrast imaging survey using advanced adaptive optics to detect and characterize young exoplanets, aiming to improve understanding of gas-giant planets at 5-10 AU.
Contribution
This paper presents the design, implementation, and initial results of the NICI Campaign, the largest and most sensitive direct imaging survey for young giant exoplanets to date.
Findings
First-epoch imaging of 174 stars completed
Achieved ~2 magnitudes better contrast than previous surveys
Established a foundation for future orbital and spectrophotometric studies
Abstract
Our team is carrying out a multi-year observing program to directly image and characterize young extrasolar planets using the Near-Infrared Coronagraphic Imager (NICI) on the Gemini-South 8.1-meter telescope. NICI is the first instrument on a large telescope designed from the outset for high-contrast imaging, comprising a high-performance curvature adaptive optics system with a simultaneous dual-channel coronagraphic imager. Combined with state-of-the-art observing methods and data processing, NICI typically achieves ~2 magnitudes better contrast compared to previous ground-based or space-based programs, at separations inside of ~2 arcsec. In preparation for the Campaign, we carried out efforts to identify previously unrecognized young stars, to rigorously construct our observing strategy, and to optimize the combination of angular and spectral differential imaging. The Planet-Finding…
Peer Reviews
No public reviews on file for this paper yet. If you reviewed it on a platform where reviews are public (OpenReview, ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML), you can paste yours below so the community can read it here.
Videos
No videos yet. Explain this paper in a talk, walkthrough, or lecture? Add one.
Taxonomy
TopicsGeophysics and Gravity Measurements · Spacecraft Design and Technology · Astronomical Observations and Instrumentation
