Astrometric detection of exoplanets from the ground

TL;DR

This review discusses ground-based astrometric techniques for exoplanet detection, highlighting current methods, results, and future prospects, including the role of the VLT and Gaia mission in advancing the field.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of ground-based astrometric methods, recent results, and future outlooks, emphasizing the integration with space missions like Gaia.

Findings

Ground-based astrometry can detect exoplanets around nearby stars.

VLT interferometer and optical imaging are key tools for ground-based astrometric searches.

Gaia will significantly enhance astrometric exoplanet detection capabilities.

Abstract

Astrometry is a powerful technique to study the populations of extrasolar planets around nearby stars. It gives access to a unique parameter space and is therefore required for obtaining a comprehensive picture of the properties, abundances, and architectures of exoplanetary systems. In this review, we discuss the scientific potential, present the available techniques and instruments, and highlight a few results of astrometric planet searches, with an emphasis on observations from the ground. In particular, we discuss astrometric observations with the Very Large Telescope (VLT) Interferometer and a programme employing optical imaging with a VLT camera, both aimed at the astrometric detection of exoplanets. Finally, we set these efforts into the context of Gaia, ESA's astrometry mission scheduled for launch in 2013, and present an outlook on the future of astrometric exoplanet detection from the ground.