Yoichi Itoh

A planetary companion to the hyades giant ε tauri

Wereportthedetection of anextrasolarplanet orbitingTau,oneof thegiantstarsintheHyadesopencluster.This is the first planet ever discovered in an open cluster. Precise Doppler measurements of this star from Okayama Astrophysical Observatory have revealed Keplerian velocity variations with an orbital period of 594:9 � 5:3 days, a semiamplitude of 95:9 � 1: 8ms � 1 , and an eccentricity of 0:151 � 0:023. The minimum mass of the companion is 7:6 � 0:2MJ,andthesemimajoraxisis1:93 � 0:03AUadoptingastellarmassof 2:7 � 0:1M� .Theageof 625Myr for the cluster sets the most secure upper limit ever on the timescale of giant planet formation. The mass of 2.7 Mfor thehoststarisrobustlydeterminedbyisochronefitting,whichmakesthestartheheaviestamongplanet-harboringstars. Puttingtogetherthefactthatnoplanetshavebeenfoundaroundabout100low-massdwarfsinthecluster,thefrequency of massive planets is suggested to be higher around high-mass stars than around low-mass ones. Subject headingg open clusters and associations: individual (Hyades) — planetary systems — stars: individual (� Tauri) — techniques: radial velocities

Spiral Structure in the Circumstellar Disk around AB Aurigae

We present a near-infrared image of the Herbig Ae star AB Aur obtained with the Coronagraphic Imager with Adaptive Optics mounted on the Subaru Telescope. The image shows a circumstellar emission extending out to a radius of r = 580 AU, with a double spiral structure detected at r = 200-450 AU. The surface brightness decreases as r-3.0±0.1, steeper than the radial profile of the optical emission possibly affected by the scattered light from the envelope surrounding AB Aur. This result, together with the size of the infrared emission similar to that of the 13CO (J = 1-0) disk, suggests that the spiral structure is indeed associated with the circumstellar disk but is not part of the extended envelope. We identified four major spiral arms, which are trailing if the brighter southeastern part of the disk is the near side. The weak gravitational instability, maintained for millions of years by continuous mass supply from the envelope, might explain the presence of the spiral structure at the relatively late phase of the pre-main-sequence period.

Near-Infrared Images of Protoplanetary Disk Surrounding HD 142527*

We discovered a unique morphology in a disk around the Herbig Ae star HD 142527 by near-infrared (H and K bands) adaptive optics imaging observations. The almost face-on disk consists of two bright arcs facing one another along the east-west direction (banana-split structure) and one spiral arm extending to the north from the western arc. The eastern arc is located at ~100-400 AU in radius from the star, and the western one is detected at ~150-490 AU. The stellar position is displaced from the center of the disk by about 20 AU to the north, and also from the center of the inner hole. The two arcs show an asymmetry in their size and brightness; the larger western arc is brighter than the east one by about 2 mag. The morphology of the disk, consisting of a banana-split structure and a spiral arm, most likely suggests the presence of an unseen eccentric binary and a recent stellar encounter.

The Missing Cavities in the SEEDS Polarized Scattered Light Images of Transitional Protoplanetary Disks: A Generic Disk Model

Transitional circumstellar disks around young stellar objects have a distinctive infrared deficit around 10 μm in their spectral energy distributions, recently measured by the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS), suggesting dust depletion in the inner regions. These disks have been confirmed to have giant central cavities by imaging of the submillimeter continuum emission using the Submillimeter Array (SMA). However, the polarized near-infrared scattered light images for most objects in a systematic IRS/SMA cross sample, obtained by HiCIAO on the Subaru telescope, show no evidence for the cavity, in clear contrast with SMA and Spitzer observations. Radiative transfer modeling indicates that many of these scattered light images are consistent with a smooth spatial distribution for μm-sized grains, with little discontinuity in the surface density of the μm-sized grains at the cavity edge. Here we present a generic disk model that can simultaneously account for the general features in IRS, SMA, and Subaru observations. Particularly, the scattered light images for this model are computed, which agree with the general trend seen in Subaru data. Decoupling between the spatial distributions of the μm-sized dust and mm-sized dust inside the cavity is suggested by the model, which, if confirmed, necessitates a mechanism, such as dust filtration, for differentiating the small and big dust in the cavity clearing process. Our model also suggests an inwardly increasing gas-to-dust ratio in the inner disk, and different spatial distributions for the small dust inside and outside the cavity, echoing the predictions in grain coagulation and growth models.

A Young Brown Dwarf Companion to DH Tauri

We present the detection of a young brown dwarf companion, DH Tau B, associated with the classical T Tauri star DH Tau. Near-infrared coronagraphic observations with CIAO on the Subaru Telescope have revealed DH Tau B with H = 15 mag located 23 (330 AU) away from the primary, DH Tau A. Comparing its position with a Hubble Space Telescope archive image, we confirmed that DH Tau A and B share a common proper motion, suggesting that they are physically associated with each other. The near-infrared color of DH Tau B is consistent with those of young stellar objects. The near-infrared spectra of DH Tau B show deep water absorption bands, a strong K I absorption line, and a moderate Na I absorption line. We derived its effective temperature and surface gravity of Teff = 2700-2800 K and log g = 4.0-4.5, respectively, by comparing the observed spectra with synthesized spectra of low-mass objects. The location of DH Tau B on the H-R diagram gives its mass of 30MJ-50MJ.

A SUBSTELLAR COMPANION TO THE INTERMEDIATE-MASS GIANT 11 COMAE

We report the detection of a substellar companion orbiting the intermediate-mass giant star 11 Com (G8 III). Precise Doppler measurements of the star from Xinglong Station and Okayama Astrophysical Observatory (OAO) reveal Keplerian velocity variations with an orbital period of 326.03 ± 0.32 days, a semiamplitude of 302.8 ± 2.6 m s−1, and an eccentricity of 0.231 ± 0.005. Adopting a stellar mass of 2.7 ± 0.3 M☉, the minimum mass of the companion is 19.4 ± 1.5 MJ, well above the deuterium-burning limit, and the semimajor axis is 1.29 ± 0.05 AU. This is the first result from a joint planet-search program between China and Japan aimed at revealing the statistics of substellar companions around intermediate-mass giants. 11 Com b emerged from 300 targets of the planet-search program at OAO. The programs current detection rate of brown dwarf candidates seems to be comparable to the rate of such detections around solar-type stars with orbital separations of 3 AU.

Planetary Companions around Three Intermediate-Mass G and K Giants: 18 Delphini, ξ Aquilae, and HD 81688

We report on the detection of 3 new extrasolar planets from a precise Doppler survey of G and K giants at Okayama Astrophysical Observatory. The host stars, 18 Del (G6 III), � Aql (K0 III) and HD 81688 (K0 III–IV), are located in the clump region on the HR diagram with estimated masses of 2.1–2.3Mˇ .1 8 Del b has a minimum mass of 10:3MJ and resides in a nearly circular orbit with period of 993 d, which is the longest one around evolved stars. � Aq lb and HD 81688 b have minimum masses of 2.8 and 2.7MJ ,a nd reside in nearly circular orbits with periods of 137 and 184 d, respectively, which are the shortest ones around evolved stars. All of the substellar companions ever discovered around intermediate-mass (1.7–3.9Mˇ )c lump giants have semimajor axes larger than 0.68 AU, suggesting a lack of short-period planets. Our numerical calculations suggest that Jupiter-mass planets within about

The SEEDS Direct Imaging Survey for Planets and Scattered Dust Emission in Debris Disk Systems

Debris disks around young main-sequence stars often have gaps and cavities which for a long time have been interpreted as possibly being caused by planets. In recent years, several giant planet discoveries have been made in systems hosting disks of precisely this nature, further implying that interactions with planets could be a common cause of such disk structures. As part of the SEEDS high-contrast imaging survey, we are surveying a population of debris-disk-hosting stars with gaps and cavities implied by their spectral energy distributions, in order to attempt to spatially resolve the disk as well as to detect any planets that may be responsible for the disk structure. Here, we report on intermediate results from this survey. Five debris disks have been spatially resolved, and a number of faint point sources have been discovered, most of which have been tested for common proper motion, which in each case has excluded physical companionship with the target stars. From the detection limits of the 50 targets that have been observed, we find that β Pic b-like planets (~10 M jup planets around G-A-type stars) near the gap edges are less frequent than 15%-30%, implying that if giant planets are the dominant cause of these wide (27 AU on average) gaps, they are generally less massive than β Pic b.

High-resolution imaging polarimetry of HL Tau and magnetic field structure

We present high quality near infrared imaging polarimetry of HL Tau at 0.4 to 0.6 arcsec resolution, obtained with Subaru/CIAO and UKIRT/IRCAM. 3-D Monte Carlo modelling with aligned oblate grains is used to probe the structure of the circumstellar envelope and the magnetic field, as well as the dust properties. At J band the source shows a centrosymmetric pattern dominated by scattered light. In the H and K bands the central source becomes visible and its polarisation appears to be dominated by dichroic extinction, with a position angle inclined by � 40 ◦ to the disc axis. The polarisation pattern of the environs on scales up to 200 AU is consistent with the same dichroic extinction signature superimposed on the centrosymmetric scattering pattern. These data can be modelled with a magnetic field which is twisted on scales from tens to hundreds of AU, or alternatively by a field which is globally misaligned with the disc axis. A unique solution to the field structure will require spatially resolved circular polarisation data. The best fit Monte Carlo model indicates a shallow near infrared extinction law. When combined with the observed high polarisation and non-negligible albedo these constraints can be fitted with a grain model involving dirty water ice mantles in which the largest particles have radii slightly in excess of 1 µm. The best fit model has an envelope structure which is slightly flattened on scales up to several hundred AU. Both lobes of the bipolar outflow cavity contain a substantial optical depth of dust (not just within the cavity walls). Curved, approximately parabolic, cavity walls fit the data better than a conical cavity. The small inner accretion disc observed at millimetre wavelengths is not seen at this spatial resolution.

Planetary Companions to Evolved Intermediate-Mass Stars: 14 Andromedae, 81 Ceti, 6 Lyncis, and HD167042

We report on the detection of four extrasolar planets orbiting evolved intermediate-mass stars from a precise Doppler survey of G-K giants at Okayama Astrophysical Observatory. All of the host stars are considered to be formerly early F-type or A-type dwarfs when they were on the main sequence. 14 And (K0 III) is a clump giant with a mass of 2.2 Mand has a planet of minimum mass m2 sin i = 4.8 MJ in a nearly circular orbit with a 186 d period. This is one of the innermost planets around evolved intermediate-mass stars, and such planets have only been discovered in clump giants. 81 Cet (G5 III) is a clump giant with 2.4 Mhosting a planet of m2 sin i = 5.3 MJ in a 953 d orbit with an eccentricity of e = 0.21. 6 Lyn (K0 IV) is a less-evolved subgiant with 1.7Mˇ, and has a planet of m2 sin i = 2.4 MJ in a 899 d orbit with e = 0.13. HD 167042 (K1 IV) is also a less-evolved star with 1.5 Mˇ hosting a planet of m2 sin i = 1.6 MJ in a 418 d orbit with e = 0.10. This planet was independently announced by Johnson et al. (2008, ApJ, 675, 784). All of the host stars have solar or sub-solar metallicity, which supports the lack of a metal-rich tendency in planet-harboring giants in contrast to the case of dwarfs.