mardi 20 février 2018, par Elodie Choquet (JPL-Caltech)
Vendredi 9 mars 2018 à 11h00 , Lieu : Salle de confĂ©rence du bâtiment 17
Within 2 decades, our classical view of planetary systems and of their formation mechanisms have been revolutionized by the observation of thousands of exoplanets. We now know that most stars host planets, that these planets are surprisingly diverse and often different from our Solar system’s, and that they probably form through a range of complex mechanisms. All these findings were obtained by looking within the first inner AUs only of exoplanetary systems, with indirect observing methods. How do planetary systems look like beyond 5 AU ? How common are planets there, what are their physical properties, how do they interact with the outer disks of dust and planetesimals ? Direct imaging can answer these questions by offering complete views of the outer regions of extrasolar systems. In the visible and near-infrared, the compelling regimes for studying planet atmospheres and dust properties, this observing method faces technical challenges that limit detections to the brightest objects. Here I will present recent works that improve the detection limits of direct imaging instruments, and how they lead to discoveries of a new class of faint objects. I will present my contribution to these developments and analyses, and I will discuss prospects toward detections and characterization of extrasolar systems with JWST.
