Previous
abstract 
Next
abstract
Session 62 - Workshop on the Future of Antarctic Astrophysics - II.
Topical, Oral session, Wednesday, June 10
Presidio,
Three indirect search strategies for extra-Solar planets share the common element of requiring precision photometry of randomly placed targets spread over a wide field of view. The three methods are:
[1] Infrared (2 to 20 \mum) gravitational ``nano''-lensing of background Galactic Center stars (the richest star field in the Galaxy) by planets in orbit around foreground Galactic disk stars at wavelengths where most of the Galactic disk and bulge can be seen.
[2] Transits of giant planets in 51 Peg type orbits that produce of order 1% amplitude occultations lasting a few hours and separated in time by days to months (0.5 to 2\mum).
[3] The detection of the infrared (2 to 20 \mum) flare or ``lava lake'' produced by proto-planet collisions in evolving debris disks around young stars in regions of recent star formation.
Though ultimately these experiments are best performed in space, observations from Antarctica, and from long duration balloons provide a viable stepping stone to develop the required technology and to obtain preliminary results. I will review the site and instrumentation requirements for these photometric search methods and discuss ``flexible feed array'' multiplex strategies which permit the efficient targeting a sparse population of randomly distributed objects over a large field of view.
