Spitzer Space Telescope - General Observer Proposal #3549


Ultracool Brown Dwarfs and Massive Planets Around Nearby White Dwarfs

Principal Investigator: Eric Becklin
           Institution: University of California, Los Angeles

Co-Investigators: 
Ben Zuckerman, University of California, Los Angeles                  
Jay Farihi, University of California, Los Angeles                     

Science Category: compact objects 
 Observing Modes: IracMap 
  Hours Approved: 7.0 

Abstract:
White dwarfs are excellent targets for ultracool brown dwarf and
massive planet searches.  These Earth-size stars have intrinsically
low luminosities and provide very high contrast when looking for
Jupiter-size companions in the infrared.  A few brown dwarfs are seen
around white dwarfs and planets are seen around their progenitors.
Spitzer/IRAC will enable an infrared survey of these faint post main
sequence stars which is impossible from the ground due to a large
thermal background.  Sensitivities are sufficient to detect sub T
dwarf brown dwarfs and planets having temperatures as low as 300  K.
At our greatest sensitivity we will be able to image orbiting bodies
with masses as small as five Jupiters - providing an opportunity to
directly image extrasolar planets.