Paper: astro-ph/0510594
Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2005 21:28:01 GMT (418kb)

Title: Detectability of planetary rings around an extrasolar planet from
reflected-light photometry

Authors: L. Arnold (OHP, CNRS), J. Schneider (Obs. Meudon, CNRS)

Comments: A 6-page 4-figure paper to appear in the proceedings of the IAU
Colloquium 200 (IAUC 200) 'Direct Imaging of Exoplanets: Science and
Techniques', October 3-7, 2005, Nice, France, C. Aime and F. Vakili, Eds.,
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
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The next generation of high-contrast imaging instruments will provide the
first unresolved image of an extrasolar planet. While the emitted infrared
light from the planet in thermal equilibrium should show almost no phase
effect, the reflected visible light will vary with the orbital phase angle. We
study the photometric variation of the reflected light with orbital phase of a
ringed extrasolar planet. We show that a ring around an extrasolar planet, both
obviously unresolved, can be detected by its specific photometric signature.

Keywords: Stars: planetary systems -- Planets: rings -- Extrasolar planet
characterization

\\ ( http://arXiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0510594 , 418kb)