Ground-based photometric follow-up for exoplanet detections with the PLATO mission

Year, pages: 2024, 142 - 149

Detections of transiting planets from the upcoming PLATO mission are expected to face significant contamination from contaminating eclipsing binaries, resulting in false positives. To counter this, a ground-based programme to acquire time-critical photometry is pursued. Its principal aim is to obtain time-series observations of the planet candidate and its surrounding stars at the times of expected transits. This programme is part of the PLATO Ground-based Observations Programme, which also covers spectroscopic and imaging observations. The current photometric follow-up programme is assembling the required observational resources, executing benchmark observations, and defining strategies for the observations and their reporting. Post-launch, it will focus on coordinating photometric data collection and analysis, and will update candidate statuses in the PLATO follow-up database. Its work packages are outlined, covering specific tools, citizen contributions, standard and multi-colour observations, secondary eclipses, and reprocessing of archival photometry. Ground-based follow-up photometry will likely concentrate on longer-period candidates, given that false positives of short-period candidates will likely become identifiable in timeseries available from GAIA in the near future. Geographical considerations for follow-up observations from the first PLATO long-observation field LOPS2 are outlined, which lies in the southern hemisphere, with later fields expected to be more suitable for northern observers.

Deeg, H., Alonso, R. 2024. Ground-based photometric follow-up for exoplanet detections with the PLATO mission. In Contributions of the Astronomical Observatory Skalnaté Pleso, vol. 54, no.2, pp. 142-149. 1335-1842. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31577/caosp.2024.54.2.142

Deeg, H., Alonso, R. (2024). Ground-based photometric follow-up for exoplanet detections with the PLATO mission. Contributions of the Astronomical Observatory Skalnaté Pleso, 54(2), 142-149. 1335-1842. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31577/caosp.2024.54.2.142

Publisher: Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences

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