PRACS · Planets Revealed Around Cool Stars

This proposal will bring the Spanish IEF from the USA to the UK to work on a project whose primary goal is to directly image extra-solar planets for the very first time. The project is leading the way with this aim, by identifying young nearby cool stars (late M and L dwarfs) in kinematically distinct ""moving groups"". The proximity, youth, and intrinsic faintness of these populations make them the best targets for planet imaging using new cutting edge adaptive optics (AO) techniques. This exciting new sample will allow Jupiter mass planets to be detected at 1AU separation (earth-Sun distance) from their host stars. The programme has alread been awarded substantial amounts of high priority observations on large telescopes, so it is ready to move forward. By employing the latest AO, and also new infrared radial velocity instrumentation (being developed by members of the supervisory team), the project also aims to reveal multiple planetary systems around cool stars, and revolutionise current understanding of planets beyond the solar system.""