Prospects for Detection of Extra-Solar Giant Planets by Next-Generation Telescopes

Abstract

Interest among astronomers in the detection of extra-solar planets is accelerating with the growing realization that it may soon be technically feasible. The ongoing renaissance in telescope construction and the anticipated launches of new space platforms are encouraging many scientists to review and improve the means by which planets can be discovered. The direct detection of the light from a distant planet would be the most compelling means of discovery and to gauge the feasibility of various search strategies, astronomers have traditionally used the current Jupiter as a benchmark planet. However, in principle, extra-solar giant planets (EGPs) can have a wide range of masses and, hence, can be significantly brighter than Jupiter. Furthermore, the maximum mass a planet can have is not known a priori, and observations will be needed to determine it. We predict the optical and infrared fluxes of EGPs with masses from 0.3 through 15 Jupiter masses and ages from 10${}^7$ through $5\times 10^9$ years that searches in the next few years may reveal.

9 pages, Plain TeX, 3 figures, published in Nature (May 25'th, 1995)

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