High-contrast Imaging with Spitzer: Deep Observations of Vega, Fomalhaut, and epsilon Eridani

Abstract

Stars with debris disks are intriguing targets for direct imaging exoplanet searches, both due to previous detections of wide planets in debris disk systems, as well as commonly existing morphological features in the disks themselves that may be indicative of a planetary influence. Here we present observations of three of the most nearby young stars, that are also known to host massive debris disks: Vega, Fomalhaut, and eps Eri. The Spitzer Space Telescope is used at a range of orientation angles for each star, in order to supply a deep contrast through angular differential imaging combined with high-contrast algorithms. The observations provide the opportunity to probe substantially colder bound planets (120--330 K) than is possible with any other technique or instrument. For Vega, some apparently very red candidate point sources detected in the 4.5 micron image remain to be tested for common proper motion. The images are sensitive to ~2 Mjup companions at 150 AU in this system. The observations presented here represent the first search for planets around Vega using Spitzer. The upper 4.5 micron flux limit on Fomalhaut b could be further constrained relative to previous data. In the case of eps Eri, planets below both the effective temperature and the mass of Jupiter could be probed from 80 AU and outwards, although no such planets were found. The data sensitively probe the regions around the edges of the debris rings in the systems where planets can be expected to reside. These observations validate previous results showing that more than an order of magnitude improvement in performance in the contrast-limited regime can be acquired with respect to conventional methods by applying sophisticated high-contrast techniques to space-based telescopes, thanks to the high degree of PSF stability provided in this environment.

11 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

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• The Northern Arc of $\epsilon$ Eridani's Debris Ring as Seen by ALMA
• The JWST Early Release Science Program for the Direct Imaging & Spectroscopy of Exoplanetary Systems
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• New HST data and modeling reveal a massive planetesimal collision around Fomalhaut
• Direct imaging of sub-Jupiter mass exoplanets with James Webb Space Telescope coronagraphy
• Constraining the Orbit and Mass of epsilon Eridani b with Radial Velocities, Hipparcos IAD-Gaia DR2 Astrometry, and Multi-epoch Vortex Coronagraphy Upper Limits
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• A Mid-Infrared Study of Directly-Imaged Planetary-Mass Companions using Archival Spitzer/IRAC Images
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• A decade of radial-velocity monitoring of Vega and new limits on the presence of planets
• Constraints on the nearby exoplanet $\epsilon$ Ind Ab from deep near/mid-infrared imaging limits
• The multi-line slope method for the measure of the effective magnetic field of the cool stars: an application to the solar like cycle of ε Eri
• Tidal disruption versus planetesimal collisions as possible origins for the dispersing dust cloud around Fomalhaut
• A Test of the Neutron Star Hypothesis for Fomalhaut b
• Constraints on the gas content of the Fomalhaut debris belt. Can gas-dust interactions explain the belt's morphology?
• Tidally Heated Exomoons around $\epsilon$ Eridani b: Observability and prospects for characterization
• Imaging of exocomets with infrared interferometry
• Searching for Planets Orbiting Vega with the James Webb Space Telescope
• Correlating Intrinsic Stellar Parameters with Mg II Self-Reversal Depths
• GTC/CanariCam deep mid-infrared imaging survey of northern stars within 5 pc
• A Catalogue of Interstellar Material Delivery From Nearby Debris Disks