Detecting free-floating planets using water-depend colour terms in the next generation of infrared space-based surveys

Abstract

The next decade will see two large-scale space-based near-infrared surveys, Euclid and WFIRST. This paper shows that the subtle differences between the filters proposed for these surveys and those from ground-based photometric systems will produce a ground-space colour term that is dependent on water absorption in the spectra of astronomical objects. This colour term can be used to identify free-floating planets in star forming regions, mimicking a successful ground-based technique that uses a filter sensitive to water absorption. This paper shows that this colour term is an effective discriminant between reddened background stars and ultracool dwarfs. This represents just one science justification for a Galactic Plane survey in the event of an extension to the Euclid mission beyond its original timeframe.

10 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

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• Ultracool Dwarfs in deep extragalactic surveys using the Virtual Observatory: ALHAMBRA and COSMOS
• J-PLUS: Discovery and characterisation of ultracool dwarfs using Virtual Observatory tools
• Default Parallels: The Science Potential Of JWST Parallel Observations During TSO Primary Observations
• A review on substellar objects beyond the deuterium burning mass limit: planets, brown dwarfs or what?