| Choosing Suitable Target, Reference and Calibration Stars for the PRIMA Astrometric Planet Search (2009) | |
Abstract | |
| Abstract. ESO’s PRIMA (Phase-Referenced Imaging and Micro-arcsecond Astrometry) facility at the VLT Interferometer on Cerro Paranal in Chile is expected to be fully operational in only a few years from now. With PRIMA/VLTI, it will then be possible to perform relative astrometry with an accuracy of the order of 10 microarcseconds over angles of about 10 arcseconds. The main science driver for this astrometric capability is a systematic search for extrasolar planets around nearby stars. Target stars as well as reference and calibration stars for this astrometric planet search have to be very carefully chosen in order to make the measurements robust and effective. Various aspects of this search for suitable target, reference and calibration stars are discussed. 1. | |
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